Flight of Fancy
by Kumoma
Summary: After a chance encounter found them on the same side of a desperate struggle for peace, a friendship has blossomed between Fareeha and Angela. To the surprise of the both of them, it seems to be continuing to grow into something more. They each struggle to come to terms with their own feelings and fears as they each wait for the other to take the next step.
1. Sunday Morning Stroll

_Author's note: This is the first update to this story. There haven't been any significant changes to the story itself. I changed the story's title to Flight of Fancy and updated the name of this first chapter to the original title of Sunday Morning Stroll. (Please bear with me; I'm still learning about how to upload stories properly.) I've also added a cover image and edited several formatting errors I missed. I also noticed a couple of inconsistencies in Angela's speech patterns; I made the decision for her to not use contractions halfway through writing the story and missed changing some of them in the final edit. Finally, I've updated the end of the original author's note about Angela's ringtone on Fareeha's phone in this chapter. I didn't realize when I first posted this story that the link to the YouTube video for the song would be removed. (By the way, t_ _he song is "Circadian Rhythm" by Silversun Pickups.) Everything else is in its original format, including the remainder of this author's note.  
_

 _This is the first in what I'm planning as a series of short stories leading up to something a bit bigger. Don't ask me just how much bigger, exactly; I'm trying to not think about it too much for fear of finding an excuse to talk myself out of doing it. (Now that I write this, though, it might make for a decent NaNoWriMo project if I can manage to work my way up to it in time.) I'd like to take this opportunity to give advance warning of potential changes of varying significance that I'm already planning. Short of scrapping the entire project, I'm leaving the entire writing open to changes I deem necessary. I'm making a decision now, roughly halfway through writing this first short story, to give this a quick glance to check for proper spelling and any other inconsistencies and then post it._

 _I have several doubts about the way I've written this, mostly regarding the liberties I've taken with the lore. I want to remain as close to canon as possible before I completely contradict those efforts and start shipping, but there's much I don't know, and no doubt far more that has yet to be released. My main concern is Mercy's refusal to use contractions. I'm not sure why I decided to go with this or any of the other choices I've made while writing this (especially considering the use of contractions as I'm pretty sure I've heard Mercy use them in her in game voiced lines). I just liked it and ran with it. I've actually got concerns about the dialogue overall and will likely end up redoing it entirely. That reminds me: Fair warning, there's a fair number of obscenities scattered throughout this story. If that bothers you...well, that's one of the few things that I'm not planning on changing, but just the same, apologies in advance. There's also a concern that there may be too many references to the lore that might end up confusing anyone not overly familiar with the details of the story behind the game. I tried to make those references more like easter eggs for the people that catch them, but it's entirely possible that parts of the story will just feel like post-requisite reading. It's mostly the names that everyone uses to refer to each other that could throw a wrench into the works, so I'm hoping that I'm just overthinking the whole thing._

 _I'm sure I'll make changes later, but I know myself well enough to know that if I take too much time reviewing it, it will inevitably become an excuse to not post it at all. Please consider this a very rough first draft and bear with me as I fret incessantly over the fine details._

The sun was shining brightly above the park, lending unseasonable warmth to what would have otherwise been a chilly spring morning in Zürich. Even the clouds seemed to be cooperating, scattering early in the morning and showing no signs of reforming anytime soon. The sun was slowly climbing higher in the sky, and rays hit the windows of the office buildings and apartments of the city, making them sparkle in the distance. A gentle breeze blew through the trees, exciting the birds into a beautiful chorus. Several flew overhead as if for no reason other than to make their presence known and add to the serenity of the scene. All around the park, blankets were being spread out on the ground near a large stage that had been constructed near the center. Film crews were making final preparations, checking cameras and cables and inspecting broadcast antennas. Children ran across the grass, scattering the last of the morning dew. It was a perfect day to be Fareeha. It would have also been an exceptionally fine day to be Pharah if something had needed killing. To be Security Chief Amari, however...

"Damn it all!" Fareeha cursed at the ground as if it could hear her. She looked down at her shoe, firmly planted in a mud puddle. In a desperate attempt to take in the scenery, she stopped watching where she was going just long enough to forget the rain that had come the evening before. Most of it had dried, but there were still a few scattered puddles. Inexplicably, she seemed to be finding every last one of them. She glared at the mud on her shoe, the only blemish on her perfectly tidy dress uniform. She knelt to the ground while pulling out her handkerchief to wipe it away, and as she did another breeze tossed several locks of her hair around playfully. She tried to enjoy the sensation, but it was no good. She wiped the mud away, having to make several additional passes to remove a few stubborn streaks from the otherwise flawless patent leather. She even tried to appreciate the restored flawless gloss as she buffed it, but she couldn't manage it. Finally giving up on enjoying the day, she muttered several more obscenities in Arabic before having to consciously remind herself that it was only mud and wasn't actually mocking her.

"Oh, my...such language. And with so many children about..."

Fareeha had to stop herself from cursing again when she realized she wasn't alone. Worse still, it was one of the few people that would just happen to know enough Arabic to know that she'd said something unbecoming. As if that weren't enough, it just had to be Angela. She stood quickly and rigidly, as if expecting a superior's reprimand. Angela only laughed at the instinctual reaction. "And I thought I had a hard time waking up. I take it mornings do not agree with you?"

"Mornings are fine." She continued to stare ahead sternly, trying desperately to ignore the warmth that had spread across her cheeks.

"Oh?" Angela merely looked at her expectantly, struggling to conceal the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Most of them." Unaware of her unnecessary stiffness, she continued to stand and stare ahead stoically.

"But it's such a lovely day! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, it's warmer than I'd ever dared to hope for so early in the year...it's as if the day was made just for us, considering why we're here. How could you possibly be so cross on a wonderful day like this?" Unable to contain her smile any longer, she turned to face Fareeha, mirroring her pose and standing at attention.

"It's as easy as it is any other day if you have a good enough reason, doctor." Angela's smile faded at the terse response, and her shoulders slumped. The realization finally dawned on Fareeha that she was talking to Angela as if she were a soldier, and even to someone who was a soldier by trade, this simply didn't make sense despite her military affiliations. Even without knowing her personally, it couldn't be more obvious from her unwaveringly cheerful demeanor that she wasn't the type to give orders or reprimand anyone. Worse than that, her misdirected anger had given her the wrong impression of her feelings. That seemed to be happening quite often lately when Angela was near; it was if someone was misinterpreting her words for her before they came out of her mouth. "I...I'm sorry, Angela. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

"Take _what_ out on me, Fareeha?" Her smile didn't return, but instead of looking hurt, she looked concerned. _Great_ , Fareeha thought. _Now she's worried about me_. The only thing keeping her from cursing again was remembering exactly how this conversation started. She took a deep breath, finally relaxing her stance while Angela looked on.

"It really is nothing, Angela. It's just as you said; I'm not having a good morning."

"Nice try. Now, what is bothering you? Or do I need to order you to tell me?" Angela stood at attention again, doing her best impression of an officer speaking to a subordinate. She pursed her lips and furrowed her brow, staring into Fareeha's eyes intently. Despite her efforts, her childlike innocence and inability to keep a straight face kept it from being at all believable, but her true goal was accomplished when Fareeha started smiling and stifling a laugh in spite of herself.

"Are you absolutely certain you're part of a military organization?" Unable to contain herself any longer, she began laughing in earnest. Angela began laughing along with her, dropping her carefully assembled expression in an instant.

"I'm a doctor! Intimidating people isn't in my job description." She took a step closer and placed a hand on Fareeha's shoulder. "Come, now...tell me what is on your mind."

 _Damn_. Fareeha knew better than to expect the matter to be forgotten so easily, but she did hope against hope for a brief moment. "I'm just...I'm not cut out for this. This is not in my area of expertise, and it certainly wasn't mentioned when I took this job."

Angela's expression rapidly shifted from concern to confusion. "Of all the things you do in what you call a normal day's time, being in a park full of children is what you find difficult? You would think someone were shooting at you."

"I'd rather that they did. At least I know how to handle that kind of a situation. That's what I was trained to do. The drill instructors never taught us how to handle...them."

Angela looked around, but saw nothing other than the families setting up picnics and the children running through the grass as they waited for the speeches to begin. She turned back to Fareeha and raised an eyebrow. "Surely you don't mean...?"

"They make me uncomfortable." She shivered slightly as she said it.

"But they are just... _children_!" Angela burst into uncontrollable laughter. Fareeha scowled with all of the intensity she could muster, although she knew it was for nothing. Angela was quite possibly the only one that could see through her harshest glare and through to the complete lack of malice beneath it. Still, her frustration wasn't lost on Angela, who tried her best to rein in her fits of giggles. "Oh, come now...after all of the dangers you've faced and all of the times your life has nearly come to an end in battle, surely children are not the one thing that could make the battle-hardened Pharah tremble in fear!"

"I don't know what to do with them. They're so small and fragile...what if I accidentally stepped on one of them?"

"They are children, love, not porcelain dolls. You can't hurt them so easily." Though Fareeha knew it was an innocent use of the word, hearing it still made something stir in her chest. Angela saw the momentary faltering of her expression and took advantage of the opportunity to continue. "Whatever would make you think that you might hurt them?" Now that the question had been posed, it did seem like a silly concern, so Fareeha tried to simply move past it.

"It isn't just that. I don't know what they expect of me. If they were my bosses, they would expect to be obeyed. If they were soldiers, they would expect orders. If they were the enemy, they would expect a rocket lodged in an uncomfortable place. But children..."

Angela burst into another fit of giggles. She wrapped her arm around Fareeha's and started to tug gently, pulling her along as she began to walk aimlessly along the park's pathways. "Even in your frustration, your concern is for another. I suppose that is why it seemed so out of character for you to simply be having a bad day. Sulking simply does not suit you." Fareeha turned away, hoping that the blush coming across her cheeks would go unnoticed. She was quite unaccustomed to hearing someone compliment her. This wasn't the only thing disrupting her focus at the moment, though; the fact that Angela was so close was more than enough to have her out of sorts at the moment. She didn't offer any resistance to the walk around the park, but Angela kept their arms firmly linked. It wasn't often that they were quite this close. She could only barely hear the words as she took in just how soft Angela was. It was hard to believe that she served as a frontline medic. The breeze brought a faint, flowery scent to her nose that could only be Angela's perfume. The smell made her head spin, and she nearly stumbled before realizing that she wasn't even paying attention to where she was walking. She struggled to bring her attention back to the conversation before her mind could wander any farther. When she finally collected herself, she turned toward Angela, who was looking at her expectantly.

"Are you alright, Fareeha? Your mind seems to be elsewhere."

 _Shit_. "I'm just...thinking."

"What about, love?"

 _Shit, shit, shit_. "...nothing, really. Maybe I'm just worrying too much."

Angela smiled brightly, and Fareeha only just managed to maintain her hastily regained composure. "Of course you are. All they truly want from you is your attention. Besides that, the children adore you. I do not doubt that you're half of the reason that they came here today. You did not think they came here to hear me give a speech about international cooperation, did you? Have you not noticed yet?" She looked around at the children, and Fareeha followed her gaze, looking for a detail she'd missed in her worry and frustration. Most of the children were still running and playing or sitting down with their parents, but the ones nearest them looked up at the two of them with wide-eyed expressions. Several of them trembled slightly.

"They look like they're about to be executed." Fareeha frowned as she looked ahead again, trying to not meet any more of their gazes. Angela only chuckled.

"Look again, love. Or have you forgotten your training?"

"What does that have to do with...?" She trailed off and examined the children again, this time trying to look at them as she would examine an enemy in battle. It made her uncomfortable to think of them that way, but the mystery was starting to get the better of her. Her eyes immediately went to their hands, habit leading her to attempt to assess potential threats and look for weapons. Rather than weapons, she suddenly noticed that the ones nearest them kept rummaging around in their pockets or running to parents on nearby blankets and excitedly asking for something. Though none of them approached the two, they all seemed to be holding pens, markers, books and pieces of paper. Fareeha looked back to Angela, entirely nonplussed.

"What...what are they doing? Homework? On a Sunday?" Angela could barely contain her laughter as she leaned in closer to whisper.

" _Homework_?" Angela stared at Fareeha incredulously. "No, love...they want your autograph."

Fareeha looked back to the children, still staring at the two of them as they passed. Occasionally, one would take a step in their direction but seem to think better of it and turn away. She saw a small group of children ahead, taking turns nudging each other in their direction before finally blushing and turning away. She was caught entirely off her guard; she never even thought to attempt to contain her surprise.

"Surely you did not think they were expecting you to shoot them...?"

"They looked scared and didn't want to come near me. That only happens before I shoot someone." The thought made her feel uncomfortable when she thought about it. She waited to hear Angela start laughing at her again, and only turned to her when the silence went on for too long.

"Fareeha, love...you must remember that these are children. You are a hero to them. That is why you are here today, remember? To show people the softer side of Overwatch. They need to see that we are not monsters or mindless killing machines, and that they were right to trust us to protect them. Not to prove them wrong, but to prove them right."

"I know. That's what worries me." The realization hit her when she heard Angela's words. "I can't do that if I'm going around and scaring children. I...don't know how to do this." Hearing herself say the words hit her harder than thinking them; she wasn't used to not being able to complete a mission.

"You're already doing this. They came here because they wanted to see us...because they wanted to see you. After hearing of the brave and beautiful Pharah that flies through the air and rains justice down upon their enemies, you've become a hero to them. It is only natural that they should want to see you for themselves...and perhaps get an autograph, should you be willing to oblige them." Angela could see Fareeha's hesitation and added, "just try. Smile at them."

"I thought we weren't here to scare them."

Angela's expression became uncharacteristically impatient. "Oh, come now, love. You have a beautiful smile."

The compliment made her heart skip a beat, but she still didn't trust herself with the task. "Isn't there something else I could try first?"

Angela gave an exasperated sigh. "Very well...just wave at them."

Fareeha didn't think much of this idea, either, but it seemed to carry far less risk. Also, the fact that Angela seemed so confident in her was impossible for her to ignore. She looked up at a small group of children they were approaching and gave a small wave with her free hand. A little girl squealed, and all of them began laughing and shouting at each other as they ran away. Fareeha's expression faltered slightly as she watched her fears being confirmed. She looked over at Angela, who was unexpectedly smiling at her. "See? What did I tell you?"

"What do you mean? They screamed and ran away."

"Yes, but did they look scared to you?"

Fareeha thought on the matter as she replayed the moment in their mind. They were screaming and running away, but they didn't look particularly afraid. "What were they saying?"

Angela raised an eyebrow before realizing that they were shouting at each other in German. "They were arguing over which one of them you were waving to."

"They...what?" No matter how much logic there was in Angela's assumptions up to this point, the thought was difficult to process.

Angela smiled and gave Fareeha an exasperated sigh as she called out to another child nearby. He looked terrified to have been singled out, but Angela ignored it and waved him over.

"Angela...what are you _doing_?"

"Proving you wrong, for which I expect a fine dinner tonight in compensation." Before there was time to take in what she'd just heard, the child had slowly and nervously made his way to them. Angela was smiling and chatting away in German while Fareeha looked on, every bit as nervous as the boy. After a seemingly endless few seconds, the boy handed Angela a piece of paper and a marker, which she immediately handed to Fareeha.

"His name is Julien. Write something nice on here for him."

Fareeha's hands shook slightly as she took the paper. It was a photograph of her in her armor from a flight test she did at a similar gathering several months before. "Something...something like what?"

"How about, 'To Julien: Justice rains from above!' They love hearing you say that."

"Justice...rains...from above." She simply wrote the words without thought; going through with this was hard enough without thinking about what she was doing. She signed her name at the bottom and attempted to hand it back to Angela, but she merely checked looked it over and quickly whispered, "don't forget the exclamation mark after 'above,' love." She then handed it back and glanced downward in Julien's direction. _I had a feeling that was too easy_. Fareeha quickly added the punctuation mark and then knelt down and handed the picture and marker back to Julien, who could only stare at her. He suddenly smiled and wrapped his arms around her neck, hugging her tightly before running off back to his parents. His mother smiled and waved at her, and her father said something she didn't understand.

"They said, 'thank you.' " Angela gently nudged Fareeha in the ribs, which she took as a cue and forced herself to smile and wave back to them. Angela waved and shouted something to them before taking Fareeha's arm again and pulling her along.

"See? That was hardly worth so much worrying, was it?" Fareeha only stared ahead nervously as several other children nervously approached with pens, books and scraps of paper in hand. Behind them, they could see parents smiling and waving as they prodded the children forward.

Before Fareeha realized it, nearly three hours had passed. She'd long since lost count of how many times she'd signed her name. Every autograph she gave out got the attention of another child or parent, and before long the entire small park had made their way to her with something to be signed. It stood to reason that the time had passed so quickly as there were no breaks to mark the passing of time; as soon as she finished signing something, Angela was ushering another group of children toward her. Nearly every group had parents in tow with cameras at the ready. She'd been photographed more in those few hours than in the rest of her life combined, and she'd autographed everything from notebooks and photographs to prized possessions. At one point she even signed her name on the cover of a book that was a beginner's guide to cybernetics. She'd handed it back to a girl in a wheelchair that Angela told her had said that she wanted to be just like Fareeha when she grew up. The entire experience left her disoriented. She was familiar with the feeling of being respected and depended upon, but never in quite this capacity. It was strange and new, but not at all unpleasant. She didn't break out of her reverie until she felt Angela pull away from her, saying that it was nearly time for her to take the stage. Fareeha escorted her to the steps of the stage, much to the dismay of the children that had crowded around her, autographs in hand but still unwilling to let her leave. She was surprised to find herself sorry to have to leave them.

As Angela prepared to take the stage, Fareeha's thoughts of the day's events started getting pushed out of the way in favor of staring unabashedly. She had taken her seat in the front row of chairs in front of the stage and was surrounded by foreign dignitaries and members of the press hurrying to fill the seats around her. Including the families watching on the massive screen above the stage and listening through the speakers scattered throughout the park, there were roughly a thousand pairs of eyes on Angela. Fareeha was confident that she didn't stand out enough to be noticed.

Angela approached the podium in the middle of the stage and began by addressing the crowd. Her words went by Fareeha in a rush, and she barely heard any of them. Finally free to let her mind wander, she started to wonder how she ever ended up in such a miserable state, and all over a person. This simply wasn't like her; she had plenty of people to whom she answered and plenty more that served alongside her, and far more that she routinely risked her life to protect. All of them were important to her. Some of them she even considered to be her family. She would gladly die to protect any of them, and yet they couldn't bring these unfamiliar feelings out of her the way Angela did. She thought back to when they first met, in the middle of a war-torn country and unexpectedly finding themselves to be part of the same mission to save innocent lives. She wasn't hard to recognize, even from a distance and through the smoke rising from the fires around her while she was nursing a plasma burn on her abdomen. She was famous around the world, for her unparalleled skill as a doctor as much as her time as a member of Overwatch. Fareeha never liked her much. Angela's skills were indisputable, but it was her views on warfare that always irritated Fareeha. Those speeches on pacifism made her feel that all that she sought to accomplish on a daily basis was being disgraced. In that moment, however, when they found themselves on the same side of the same conflict, she found herself forced to accept the opportunity to hear more; this was something she had always actively avoided, so she expected this to be a particularly unpleasant mission. Much to her surprise, she found herself in a number of deep discussions on the matter with Angela, many of which would carry on late into the evening. Even if she didn't completely agree, she came to realize that they were both working toward the same goal: A world that didn't need people to fight for it. More than that, Fareeha found it impossible to not come to respect someone that worked so hard purely for the benefit of others.

This was sufficient explanation for why she respected Angela, but it still didn't explain her feelings as they were now. For all of her thinking on the matter, she couldn't even deduce how it began. She could only remember the first time she noticed it. She found herself with some free time and had accepted an invitation from Angela to finally see Switzerland. Fareeha loved to see new places, and anywhere in the world that she hadn't seen for herself was the perfect place to take a vacation. She spent a week letting Angela take her to every last one of her favorite places in Zürich. It was nice enough, but what made it special to her was the company. It was the first time she had ever seen Angela so lighthearted. When she wasn't fighting her way through a battlefield or desperately trying to save a life, there was no end to her happiness. Though Fareeha had come to know this side of her in conversations with her, there was something different about seeing it in person. She was unaccustomed to being around anyone that smiled so much...at least, in any way that was at all believable. More than that, it was infectious. During that week, Fareeha often found herself wondering why her face felt so sore and tired only to realize that she was smiling. It was shocking to catch herself at it at all, much less almost constantly. It wasn't until much more thought on the matter weeks later that she realized that it made her happy just to see Angela happy. Several months and as many visits later, she started catching herself counting the days until their next meeting. Fareeha continued to think back to those trips they would make for no reason than to see each other in person. The more they saw each other, the harder it was for her to return to Giza. As much as she loved Egypt, the thought of making the trip there alone was becoming painful. She found herself thinking about Angela more when they were apart, often only to pass the time. With neither warning nor provocation, Angela would find her way into Fareeha's thoughts and she would almost immediately find herself lost in recalling everything about her to memory. She even found herself consciously noting details of the experience of having her nearby, from the way her eyes sparkled when she found a new book to read to every last detail of the scent of her perfume. She never wasted an opportunity to retain every minute detail of the feeling of being near her...when she wasn't looking, at least. Even now, she couldn't tear her eyes away from taking in every fine detail of her delicate face. She was particularly fond of the way her pale eyeshadow brought out the brilliant blue of her eyes, and the way the soft pink coloring on her lips sparkled in the sunlight.

"What are you looking at?" The words snapped her out of her reverie with a startling jolt. It felt like physical pain, as if she'd been electrocuted. She nearly jumped out of her chair before turning to meet Lena's mischievous stare.

"What? I—nothing! What...what do you want, Oxton? When did you even get here?"

"Somewhere just after 'peace is,' but just in time to catch 'a global concern.' Among other things..." Unlike with Angela, Lena's teasing was relentless. Fareeha already knew this all too well, and her mind raced to find a way to turn the conversation in a different direction.

"There's nothing to witness here other than exhaustion. I spent half the morning signing autographs. Did anyone say anything to you about that? I knew there was something off about the way they told me about this whole thing. 'Just a meet-and-greet,' they said, but wouldn't give me any more details other than to wear a dress uniform. I'm pretty sure I liked them better when they were only sending me to meet people trying to kill me—wait, where were you the whole time? Surely there were no end of children wanting the legendary Tracer's autograph."

"Like I said, love, I just got here."

 _There's that word again_ , Fareeha thought as she waited for the dizzying rush of emotion that followed it every time she'd heard it today, but this time it rang hollow. It just sounded like any other word she'd said in the same breath. It was normal enough as she said it all the time, but it was nothing more than that. The stark contrast hit Fareeha all at once as she realized that it only affected her when Angela said it. She'd been using it quite often when speaking to Fareeha lately, but she never said it to anyone else. Fareeha forced the thought from her mind as she felt the confusion inside her regaining its strength. Applause erupted throughout the park, signaling the end of Angela's speech. Fareeha had a sinking feeling that she was about to be glad for the noise to mask the rest of the conversation.

"So...Mercy, eh?"

 _Goddamn it_. "W-what about her?"

"You're not good at this, you know. You're a dab hand at making things explode, and I give you all credit for that, but you might want to leave dodging things to me."

"You—that is—oh, just forget it!" Lena could only stare open-mouthed for a moment as Fareeha quickly stood. It was so unlike her to lose her carefully constructed composure that even Lena couldn't bring herself to continue her teasing. As Fareeha began storming off, Lena blinked in front of her.

"Wait! Wait...look, I'm sorry. I was just having some fun. I didn't know you were wound so tight about the whole thing. I'm just not used to seeing you out of sorts about anything, you know?" She smiled apologetically, and even in the midst of her frustration, Fareeha couldn't bring herself to stay angry. She took a deep breath as she realized that this was the second time today that she'd needlessly upset someone out of frustration.

"I'm sorry as well. I'm just not at all myself today. I'm not accustomed to being this upset by anything, either."

"Well, this never is easy, is it? Especially when that's what's on the line." She quickly glanced at Angela, surrounded by smiling dignitaries and shaking hands while trying to escape the crowd that was starting to form around her. Again, she was glad for the interruption; she knew she was going to need the extra time when Lena continued. "It makes sense that you're nervous about it. She's a real catch, after all. It's not like there's enough tall, gorgeous world-famous war hero doctors to go around. She might not go for it, and then things get really awkward. Worse than that, the competition is getting fierce. You should see the queue outside the park just hoping to get a chance to get a chance."

"What makes you think they're here for anything like that?" Despite her best efforts to sound flippant, Fareeha couldn't keep the concern out of her voice.

"You two never do spend much time looking at your fan sites, do you?" Lena chuckled, unable to stop herself from getting in a little more ribbing. "You wouldn't believe it! I even heard a few rehearsing their chat-up lines on the way in—" Lena stopped herself at the sight of Fareeha's look of dismay and quickly decided to change tactics. "Think about it this way: You're already halfway there. At least she likes you, so you've already got an advantage." Fareeha nodded, but she didn't look at all motivated. Lena decided to try one more time. "Just a little friendly advice, love: I might have all the time in the world, but you should probably get on with it, don't you think? Time waits for no man, after all...well, you know, usually." She smiled widely and poked the glowing center of her chronal accelerator. "Besides, even if it did, _they_ wouldn't." She nodded toward the park entrance, and Fareeha could just barely make out a crowd gathering at the gate. She couldn't even see the street they were standing on.

"Just think about it, alright? And maybe sooner rather than later." Lena smiled kindly before giving her trademark casual salute and then suddenly disappearing into a flash of blue light, leaving Fareeha with a slightly clearer head but feeling more frustrated than ever. It was hard enough just to internalize what was on her mind, but to have to hear it from someone else was all but unbearable. Worse than that, she'd noticed, and fairly easily. If she had managed to pick up on something as subtle as an unusual expression, then surely Angela...

"So, what did you think? How did I do?" Fareeha's blood ran cold when she heard Angela's voice just behind her. Between the embarassment of having been caught off her guard so many times in the same day anhd the fear of not knowing how long Angela had been listening to her conversation, all she wanted to do was disappear the same way Lena did. Having neither the option at her disposal nor any true desire to lose any time she could be spending with Angela, she quickly composed herself and arranged her face into what she hoped was a pleasant expression before turning around.

"You were amazing, Angela. I have to say that you were right about today. Everyone seemed to respond favorably; this can only help our cause. More than that, they really do love you." Fareeha stopped herself as she thought of the lines that she'd just heard were forming at the park's entrance. It took her a moment to realize that Angela didn't even seem to notice the praise.

"You certainly are on edge today. I'm starting to worry about you." She didn't appear to be joking. She looked at Fareeha with concern in her expression, but decided to not press the issue. She simply wrapped her arm around Fareeha's and once again started to gently pull her along for another walk in no particular direction.

"I am sorry that I did not say so sooner, but thank you. It was nice to hear you speak so highly of me. I thought I was awful up there."

"What? What makes you say something like that?"

"I only got through that speech because I already knew what I was going to say. I wanted to leave the entire time. I do not care for crowds, especially when they are all staring at me."

Fareeha was a little surprised to hear that she would be at all shy. It was cute. "Stage fright? You? I never would've guessed. You looked very comfortable up there."

"Well, to be honest, my mind was elsewhere." Fareeha waited for her to elaborate, but she remained silent. It took a few seconds for her to speak again.

"Still, I regret having teased you earlier for worrying about how today would go...even though I was right. Recall if you will that not one child asked for my autograph the entire time you were present." She couldn't resist smiling and adding that, and Fareeha didn't consider holding it against her. Playfully teasing her was simply a part of Angela's nature. "At any rate, it was not until I was on the stage that I remembered that there could be something reasonable to fear from a celebration." She suddenly looked down at Fareeha's hand, staring at it for a moment as though she were just seeing it clearly for the first time.

"What is it, Angela?"

"You are wearing different prosthetics today."

Fareeha looked down at her hands. She had all but forgotten that she was using the prosthetics that replicated the look and feel of human flesh. They were normally stored in a footlocker with her dress uniforms. "Oh, these? I thought it might be somewhat less...well, distressing. For the children, I mean." She couldn't help feeling irritated by them now that she was thinking about them.

"But you do not care for them."

"How did you know that?"

"You never wear them. When you are out of your Raptora armor, you always wear the chrome prosthetics or the ones that are painted. I have only ever seen you wear these that one time the ones you were wearing malfunctioned and you didn't have any others with you. You frowned at your hands all day."

Fareeha turned away and looked off into the distance, hoping the blushing she could feel spreading across her cheeks wasn't obvious. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she felt honored that Angela took quite so much notice of her. "Well, as I said, it was for the children. I didn't want to scare them."

Angela smiled sweetly. "You really were nervous about today. Hopefully you believe me now when I say that it was not necessary. The children loved you." There was a long pause, and Fareeha could tell that Angela was still looking at her. She couldn't tell for certain as she was still avoiding making eye contact, but her expression seemed slightly off. She was smiling as she usually did, but there was something about it that she couldn't quite place. She was relieved to not have to wonder about it any longer when Angela eventually spoke again.

"I still do not quite understand something, love. What is it about your appearance that makes you think that you would scare the children? You look strong and brave."

Fareeha continued staring forward, certain that the increased warmth spreading across her face was only growing more intense. Hearing a compliment from Angela was enough to make her forget to worry about her appearance. "I suppose I was overthinking the matter. I was wondering why they always look at me the way they do, and I jumped to conclusions. I was under the impression that the things that look different about me were the cause. My prosthetics and my tattoo. I have to admit, they do look strange."

"Nonsense!" Fareeha looked at Angela in surprise in spite of herself. Even Angela seemed surprised by how loudly she'd uttered the word; it was clear that she didn't intend to do so. "That is to say...there is no truth in that statement. As I said before, your prosthetics make you look strong and brave. And, for the record, your tattoo only makes you more beautiful." Her cheeks reddened slightly, but she showed no signs of acknowledging it and pressed on. "Besides, The Eye of Horus is something in which you take great pride, as well you should. Even if the children were afraid, you should not have to be ashamed of it. Or anything else, for that matter. It is true that your tattoo was the first thing I noticed about you the first time I saw your face, but I was hardly afraid. On the contrary, it made me feel that I could trust you to watch out for me in battle."

Fareeha took a moment to process all of this while keeping a straight face. It was not the easiest thing she had ever done, and she was merely hoping that she was doing so effectively. "As much as I appreciate that, you're probably the only one I would ever expect to know the history behind it."

"No matter." Angela waved a hand in dismissal. "The fact remains that it suits you. Besides, that tattoo was the reason I first..."

"The reason you first what?"

Angela's cheeks reddened again and she turned her head downward, her eyes fixed on the path they were following. She did not continue, and though Fareeha was desperate to hear her finish that sentence, she finally decided that she had upset Angela once already, and wasn't willing to risk doing so a second time.

They wandered aimlessly in silence for a few minutes before Fareeha's phone started ringing. She looked at it and grimaced, then muttered a quick apology to Angela, saying it was about work and it should only take a moment. These calls were never pleasant; all Fareeha could do was hope that they would merely be short. She spoke quickly with a superior, recounting the day's events and assuring him that she had seen nothing of consequence take place. Her business concluded, she turned back to Angela, who was stifling a laugh.

"What is it?" With her nerves having been strained so many times throughout the day, Fareeha couldn't help being more nervous than usual around Angela.

"That song on your phone...is that from that old space movie?"

"Oh, that? Yes, it's just for work. I like to choose ringtones that seem appropriate."

"A song about an evil overlord?"

"Like I said, appropriate."

A smile crossed Angela's face that was unsettlingly reminiscent of Lena's. She took Fareeha's arm again and, as they were walking, she reached into her purse and started digging for something. Just as Fareeha was about to ask why, her phone started ringing again. Without thinking about it, she stumbled as she heard Angela's ringtone playing. She looked down at the phone that was still in her hand as if hoping to see something that would prove her wrong. As if in outright defiance of her wishes, a picture of Angela looked back up at her. It was a rather impressive photograph that she'd downloaded from a fan site. A journalist had taken it years ago in the middle of a war zone as she was hovering in her Valkyrie armor and reaching out to pull him out of the rubble of a collapsed building.

"You chose _that_ picture?" Angela smiled as a blush came across her cheeks. "Hmm...I am not familiar with that song, though. What is it?"

Fareeha's mind slowly lurched into gear as she recovered from the shock of having one of her secrets unveiled and began her attempt to turn the conversation in any direction but this one. "It's an old song from my mother's collection. It's actually from just before her time, but she always did love old things. You know, it's strange in a way; it's actually an American song, if I recall. I can't imagine how she ever came across it. Then again, she did travel quite a bit when she was in Overwatch. It's actually pretty good music, though, so I'm not complaining about it. I could send you some of the better songs..." Her voice trailed off as she looked over to see if her plan was working. Judging by the way that Angela was all but bouncing in anticipation, it couldn't have failed more spectacularly. Seeing that she was only delaying the inevitable, she admitted defeat and asked the question in spite of already being sure of the response.

"What is it?"

"Why did you pick that song for me?"

 _Shit_. "As I said earlier, I just pick whatever seems appropriate at the time."

"Why was it appropriate? What is it about?"

 _Shit, shit, shit_. "I'm not sure, but it seems to be about being close to someone but far away at the same time."

"Oh?" She continued to stare expectantly.

"Do you remember when you first gave me your phone number? You were on your way back here to Zürich at the time, but I was still on assignment in Giza."

"Ah...I remember now." Fareeha had to consciously remind herself to not sigh with relief when it became apparent that Angela was out of questions. Though she was relieved, she was also bothered by a nagging suspicion that Angela wasn't entirely satisfied with the answer. The way she abruptly changed the subject didn't help ease her mind.

"By the way, where did Tracer run off to? I was going to say hello, but she disappeared before I could make my way over to you."

 _So that's why she took off like that_. Fareeha begrudgingly offered Lena silent gratitude. She was obviously giving them time to be alone...either that or she saw Angela coming and wanted to end the conversation before it could be overheard. She truly was grateful even though she still couldn't quite shake the feeling of annoyance over the intrusion on her thoughts. More annoying than that was the fact that she was right. Annoyed or not, wasting the opportunity she created seemed a poor way to thank her. She took a deep breath and steeled herself.

"What is on your mind, Fareeha? You look like you are about to be redeployed again."

"Er...nothing, really. I was just wondering what your plans were for the evening now that this is done."

"Well, dinner, of course."

"Oh? Dinner?" Fareeha thought she had readied herself for every possible polite variation of "no" that she might hear, but she still felt woefully unprepared.

"Yes, love, dinner. Remember? The one that I told you I would be expecting in exchange for proving you wrong earlier? Surely you did not think I would forget?" Angela did her best impression of a look of irritation, but as usual, it didn't last long before the corners of her mouth betrayed her by slowly turning upward. "I even have a place in mind. It is a lovely little place on the top floor of my hotel. I often find myself there when I return home. I do not have a reservation, but they always manage to find a place for me. I am certain they would be willing to do me the favor again. Meet me up at my room at, say...seven thirty?" She spoke as though the matter had been decided, but she still waited for a response.

"Er...yes, of course. Seven thirty. I'll be there." Fareeha choked on the words as she forced them out. Her mind was a blurred mess, and it was only some small fraction of her senses that urged her to speak the words rather than simply stand there staring.

"O-oh! Wonderful! It is a date, then! I will head back there now and start getting ready! See you tonight!" Angela smiled widely, looking oddly relieved as she walked away with a surprising spring in her step. Fareeha couldn't even begin to work out what she must have been thinking; she had only just managed to regain full control of her own mind.

As she stood there, watching Angela walk in the direction of the aerial transport vehicles reserved for the visiting dignitaries, she tried to process everything that had just happened in the last few minutes. She took a moment to clear her mind, then found herself saying aloud, "it's just dinner. That's it. She just wants to go out to dinner." It seemed like a bad idea to read too much into the situation. After all, she wasn't accepting an invitation; it was her idea, so it was nothing more than a dinner date between friends. Despite her best efforts, however, she couldn't stop herself from getting lightheaded when she thought about it.

"Told you so."

Fareeha rounded on Lena, who had seemingly appeared out of thin air behind her. She began cursing rapidly in Arabic while clutching her chest, but Lena never lost her mischievous grin. She only roared with laughter at the animated response. "I'm...I'm guessing it's for the best that I can't understand any of that!" Clearly defeated, Fareeha settled for turning away and scowling as Lena struggled to compose herself. "Well, I did tell you. So, what's the plan? What's next on the agenda?"

"There is no plan. There is no agenda. I'm just going to go back to my hotel and get dressed for dinner. Just. Dinner." She continued to look away from Lena as she spoke, but to no avail. Lena merely blinked in front of her and continued her interrogation.

"Oh, just dinner, you say? Come on, Pharah, you know I know better."

"So much for what you know. That's all it is. Dinner. It was...her idea."

For a brief moment, Lena looked as if she were slowly deflating as she processed the implications of this development. She shook her head and recovered quickly. "Just because it was her idea doesn't mean it isn't good news. In fact, it could be great news."

"You don't have any way of knowing that."

"Neither do you." Lena's smile was slowly returning, but it was gentle. "Come on, since when have you been the quitting type?"

It was obvious that Lena was goading her into acting by pretending to challenge her character, but Fareeha couldn't deny that she was still right. Even just looking at it logically, there was no way to go but forward. "I...suppose I'll just have to ask her."

"That's the spirit! Need any help getting ready?"

"Why would I need any help getting ready?" She thought about the question for a moment, and panic began to set in as she realized that she had absolutely no idea how to prepare for the evening. She wasn't one for dressing formally outside of work, so she had no frame of reference for dressing appropriately for an evening this important. The fact that she had no idea if it was even an important evening yet only complicated matters further.

"That's...not a good face." Lena looked confused as she attempted to guess at what Fareeha was thinking.

"Do you know anything about dresses?" Fareeha tried to ask casually, but the worry in her voice couldn't have been more obvious. Lena only responded by smiling widely and taking her by the wrist, halfway dragging her across the park lawn toward the transport vehicles entirely in spite of a steady stream of protests that eventually trailed off into more scowling. Fareeha looked at the watch on her free hand and felt another jolt of panic as she realized that it was nearly four o'clock. Even if Lena were going to listen to her, there wasn't time to argue. She knew that she was only getting one shot at this, and she felt certain that she was going to need every last second to prepare to take it.


	2. The Dressing Room (Angela's Stall)

_Author's note: This is the first of several shorter stories leading up to part two of Flight of Fancy, showing several significant events and flashbacks that tie the parts together. (Well, it was supposed to be short, anyway; perhaps half this length at the most. I seem to always get carried away when I start writing something.) If people like them, I'm hoping to do at least one or two of these between each full part of the story. I attempted to do several translations of phrases this time; please don't hesitate to correct me if I've used them incorrectly. By the way, the song Angela hears that she chooses for Fareeha's ringtone is "Turnstile Blues" by Autolux. The song that she hears during her conversation near the end is "Jigsaw" by Lady Sovereign._

Several minutes had passed since Angela left Fareeha in the park and set out for her hotel room. It was only the result of some skillful dodging and fortunate timing that she'd escaped without being stopped for another interview or to meet another foreign dignitary. It was an honor to be the focus of their attention, even if it did make her uncomfortable to have so many eyes on her at once. It was also a golden opportunity for the members of Overwatch to approach the public and begin the arduous task of regaining their trust. While they were still a long way off from publicly declaring themselves to be reformed, they had taken several huge steps in that direction with today's spectacle. To have so many representatives of the world's governments responding favorably to her speech about the need for the world to strive for peace was invaluable to their cause. Every photograph of her shaking a dignitary's hand was another blow struck to their opposition, slowly chipping away at the resentment directed toward them in recent years. Despite the importance of these simple introductions and short conversations, however, there simply wasn't time for any more. Her priorities had suddenly shifted.

Angela quickly ducked behind a large trash can as she noticed another potential delay out of the corner of her eye. An ambassador from Norway stood with his bodyguards and a photographer, all of their eyes scanning the area. It was clear that they were waiting to catch her away from the competition of the crowd of people in the park for another photo opportunity and short conversation about the details of her speech. _No. No, no, no. Not today...not now. Besides, I already spoke with him earlier...I believe._ Angela gave a soft whistle to a driver standing near of the transports, then pointed at the door and stared at him intently. He looked at her in confusion for a moment before realization dawned on him when an irritated look crossed Angela's face and she jabbed her finger through the air, again pointing at the door of the transport. He opened the door and stood at attention. Angela frowned when this drew the attention of one of the bodyguards. _Damn._ The bodyguard leaned in and whispered something to the ambassador, and all of their eyes were on her driver. Just as she was about to give up and step out of her hiding place, people began looking off into the distance. They were all lauging, and a few began pointing. There was some kind of a commotion being caused in the distance by what looked like Tracer carrying someone over her shoulder across the park lawn. Just as curiosity was taking root in Angela's mind, she noticed that the ambassador and his guards were also looking in that same direction and laughing amongst themselves. Seeing her opportunity, she made a reckless dash toward the transport on her toes, the heels of her pumps barely touching the ground. As she reached the open door, she dove through it and landed with a soft thud on the leather bench seat. The driver looked inside the door in shock as Angela turned her head toward him and shouted.

"Los! _Fahre weg_!"

The driver, after taking a brief moment to process what he'd seen, nodded and quickly closed the door behind her. A few seconds later, he opened the front door and quickly got in. The transport began to lift into the air immediately, and in moments they had left the parking area behind and were speeding off. The driver nervously glanced toward the back seat at Angela, who was laughing at herself while trying to catch her breath. She knew that she must look utterly ridiculous just then; there clearly wasn't any danger, so there was no easy way to explain what had just happened. Still, she had to say something. She smiled nervously at the driver who was clearly struggling to decide how to go about inquiring as to what had just taken place.

"I...I am sorry. I just had to leave quickly, and there was no diplomatic way to go about it. To the hotel, please. Stop for nothing."

"I...I see. Right away, doctor." He was clearly still burning with curiosity, but he didn't ask anything else. Angela was grateful. There was sure to be enough explaining to do already; there were no doubt plenty of people wondering where she'd gone so suddenly. As if on cue, her phone began to chime. She groaned as she looked at it and saw that it was one of the event organizers. Sure enough, he was requesting her presence. She did her level best to refuse politely, but it took a few minutes to convince him that she would not be returning before tomorrow morning. Before she could end the call, another came through; this one was coming from the French embassy. She sighed as she ended one call and transferred to the next. It was clear that this was going to be a long struggle. As the transport landed in front of her hotel, she stepped out and was met by several reporters that apparently had the same idea as the Norwegian ambassador. She struggled to politely decline their requests for interviews in English while doing the same over the phone in French. Even though she was full of energy only minutes earlier, she was suddenly feeling exhausted.

On the trip through the hotel lobby and up the elevator to her room, Angela had spoken continuously. Three more calls had come, though she only managed to actually take one of them. She was only just making arrangements to continue the conversation later as she walked into her suite and through the door to the bedroom. After disconnecting from the call, she dropped onto her bed, feeling oddly drained. She often felt this way after turning someone away. She felt fatigued, but at the same time a nervous energy was building in her stomach and making her feel nauseated. Despite how she refused to have her evening interrupted and how glad she was to have the matter behind her, disappointing people wasn't in her nature. Lying on the bed, she instinctively reached out for the stuffed rabbit on the bedside table and held it close as she tried to clear her mind. She didn't have much interest in owning worldly posessions, but she had several that were important to her. This one was by far her favorite; no matter where she found herself in the world, she always made certain it was nearby.

Long ago, she was talking to Fareeha and made an offhand comment about how the story The Velveteen Rabbit was what first made her want to study medicine. Many months later, she received a parcel from Fareeha while running a small clinic in a Ugandan village that had recently suffered from a devastating omnic attack on a nearby city. The attached note simply read, "I ran across this and thought of you." As Fareeha was never one to go out of her way to express sentiment, Angela couldn't even begin to guess what may have been in the box. She opened it and her eyes almost immediately filled with tears as she pulled out a stuffed rabbit made of velveteen. It was dressed in a little white laboratory coat and wearing a stethoscope around its neck. Even if it was true that she had just happened to run across such a thing—which seemed rather unlikely—there was no denying the trouble it must have caused to have it delivered to her in the middle of nowhere. It was the first time that she ever realized how caring Fareeha could be. From that day, Angela began to notice a much softer side to her that she almost never showed. Not openly, at least; Fareeha would never speak of such things, but she always seemed to have a way to show it with a kind gesture. More than that, though, Angela was honored to be the only one that had the privilege of seeing it. She toyed with the rabbit's ears, smiling to herself and thinking of Fareeha. Her mind slowly began to return to the night ahead of her, and she felt a wave of calm washing over her. This often happened when she thought of Fareeha, and holding the stuffed rabbit was always a means to that end. _I have more important matters requiring my attention tonight. The rest of the world will have to wait until morning._

Angela's attention was finally drawn away from the rabbit when she heard her phone chime serenely. She pulled it out and saw that she'd received a message from Fareeha. She couldn't help smiling as she read it. As always, Fareeha's messages were short and to the point. She always wished that there would be a bit more to them to make them feel a little more personal, but that wasn't Fareeha's way. Every written message felt like an official report being made to a superior. _Old habits, I suppose._ The message read, "here are those songs from my mother's collection that I promised you. I chose a few that I thought you might like." Angela saw that there was a rather large attachment and found several hundred files listed.

" _This_ is what you call 'a few?' " Angela couldn't help laughing. She didn't know anyone else that could do so much for someone and still think that it somehow wasn't enough. Even though Fareeha would never concede that it was anything but a simple gesture, it clearly must have taken a considerable amount of time to select them from her massive collection of music. There was no way that she'd had time to do it since she mentioned it earlier that day; she must have worked on it for some time and waited for an opportunity to give it to her. It was unbelievably adorable. It was one of those things that stood out as something that only Fareeha would do, and as with anything else that reminded her of Fareeha, Angela treasured it. She quickly looked through the list, but nothing there looked familiar. Not having any idea where to start, she uploaded them all to the suite's private server and started playing them at random. The first song was calm and relaxed with a simple drum beat setting the pace for the soft vocals. The drum beat began to slowly increase in intensity, building to a sudden change of pace for the entire song. It was still a slow-paced song, but it wasn't quite as relaxing as it was when it started. Angela couldn't help thinking that there was an underlying intensity there that had never quite made its way to the surface. That also sounded much like Fareeha. She was always calm on the surface, but there seemed to always be something just beneath that was desperately wanting to find its way out. A day like today was a rare occasion; she almost never let what she was thinking or feeling come out if it wasn't somehow furthering a goal. Even though Angela had been upset to the point of worry, it was still something that only Fareeha did, and that made it special. Angela took a minute to pull up an audio editor on one of the suite's terminals and analyze the song. She selected a few seconds of the song starting with the change of pace and sent it to her phone as a separate file. She smiled as she set the song as Fareeha's ringtone. _There. Now we are even._

She looked at the photograph she'd chosen for Fareeha, a picture that she'd saved only after making quite certain that nobody was watching her. She would most certainly not be changing that. It was a still image from a video conference not long after they'd become friends. At the time, Fareeha was on a call with her after having just returned to base after completing a mission. Already nearly late for the call she'd promised to make, she was taking off pieces of her Raptora armor to send them out for repairs. When Angela answered, half of Fareeha's armor was off, lying on a cart in scattered pieces. A repair technician waited nearby, looking rather anxious and blushing as he looked everywhere in the room but in Fareeha's direction. The sleeveless dark blue body suit she wore under her armor was soaked through with sweat, and several beads rolled down her face. She was reattaching a prosthetic forearm to the connection point just above where her elbow would have been and was testing it for a proper connection, moving her fingers and turning her wrist. The motions made her bicep bulge, casting faint shadows on her mocha skin along the outlines of her muscles. It made the parts of her that were still flesh look even more impressive than usual. She was well toned and clearly strong, but she still looked quite feminine. Angela found the combination irresistible. It wasn't until Fareeha had called her name for the second time that Angela realized that she was staring. She went into a fit of coughing at the surprise; she'd also been unconsciously holding her breath.

After their conversation, Angela took notice of the option to archive the communication for the first time in years. It was a feature on her phone left over from her time in Overwatch, intended to be used as a security measure when dealing with unfamiliar parties. She had never felt a need to use it before, but today her finger went to the button automatically as if out of habit. She couldn't place why at the time, but she felt deeply embarassed about it. Despite this, she couldn't bring herself to delete the conversation. In time, she'd gotten into the habit of recording her video conferences with Fareeha, and on occasion she would replay the audio just to hear Fareeha's voice when their schedules conflicted and they had to go long periods of time without speaking directly. As she always did when she thought about this, her face turned a deep crimson. She had access to the most advanced electronic security software in the world, and she didn't hesitate to use it to secure the subfolder where she kept those recorded conversations. Even still, the thought of having them discovered was mortifying. She took a moment to replay some of those conversations in her mind. As always, thinking of Fareeha was comforting. A quick glance at a clock on the far wall showed that it was already nearly five o'clock. Her energy and anticipation for the night ahead restored, she quickly sat up and headed for the shower, leaving a trail of discarded clothes behind her.

As she showered, panic set in as Angela realized that she hadn't even considered what she'd be wearing that night. Although she had been hoping for an opportunity like this, her plans had just been made an hour ago, and she had spent too much of her energy since then ending conversations and avoiding new ones to think about what to wear before now. Still, even though the plans had just recently been made, the evening was already of the utmost importance. It had to be absolutely perfect. Fortunately, in her hoping for such an occasion, she'd brought a surprising amount of luggage with her for her week-long stay. It took a hotel attendant and a manager to carry it all to her suite. It was a bizzare feeling for her as she normally traveled light. All of her belongings usually fit in a single suitcase, and nearly half of it was reserved for medical equipment. Any trip that involved a meeting with Fareeha was always a separate matter, however. Angela liked to have enough options to ensure that no matter the situation, she would always look absolutely perfect. Fareeha never referenced her efforts directly aside from a simple "you look nice" or "I like your dress," but there was something about her expression that always made the effort feel worthwhile. Fareeha was always calm and collected, but whenever she saw Angela in a new outfit, she got a strangely embarassed look on her face and seemed to be struggling to restrain a smile. The thought made Angela's heart flutter, and she redoubled her efforts to find the perfect outfit for the night. She stepped out of the shower, pulled on a bathrobe and headed to the bedroom wardrobe.

Angela spent the next half of an hour emptying her suitcases and looking through all of the clothes that she'd brought with her, holding up a different item in each hand and comparing them to one another before glancing at the clock, giving a frustrated sigh and moving on to the next. As she pulled the last of the dresses out of the wardrobe, she noticed a small cardboard box at the bottom. She immediately began to giggle when she saw it and, after a brief moment of debating with herself, she pulled it out and opened the lid. Inside was what appeared to be a nurse's uniform. In recent months, she'd spent much of her free time planning ways to take that first step toward something more than a friendly relationship with Fareeha. She admitted to herself that this was one of her more desperate plans, but at the same time, she still liked the idea enough to follow through with it to the point of acquiring the appropriate outfit. She often fantasized about surprising Fareeha by approaching her while dressed in a revealing nurse's uniform. _Fair compensation for the velveteen rabbit, really._ Fareeha was most decidedly not the kind of person that would be seduced, coerced or even negotiated with if it came to doing something she didn't want to do. That, however, was what made the idea so appealing to Angela. If it worked, it would mean that Fareeha had accepted her; she had chosen Angela the same way Angela had chosen her. The thought made her face turn a fierce shade of scarlet. She looked into the box, then out of the bedroom toward the front door of the suite. Her mind drifted off to an imagined scene where she was welcoming Fareeha inside over the intercom, telling her to have a seat and saying that she'd be out in just a moment with something special for her. Unable to resist the impulse, she took off her bathrobe and started to change.

After a few minutes, Angela carefully placed a small white cap on her head and took a step in front of a full-length mirror. She was wearing a traditional white nurse's uniform that had been heavily modified. She had put her surgical skills to a rather unorthadox use and cut the uniform apart, sewing it back together only after having removed what she felt was enough cloth to entice. It fit her closely, proudly displaying her every last curve. The neckline had been cut shockingly low, revealing a lacy black bra underneath that served no purpose other than to frustrate Fareeha enough to want to take it off of her. The bottom of the dress had been cut extremely short, now just barely extending past her hips. From beneath the hemline, lacy black leg garters ran down her thighs to a pair of matching stockings that ended in black patent leather stilettos. The only thing missing was the nail polish and lipstick that she'd left in the box, a deep shade of crimson that caught the light and drew the eye directly to them as they softly shimmered. After taking a moment to take in the sight of herself, she burst into embarassed laughter. She'd imagined a scenario dozens of times since the idea first struck her in which she would seductively walk out in this uniform and shock an unsuspecting Fareeha into submission. The fantasy always ended this way, with Angela giggling uncontrollably and blushing. This time was worse than most; this was the first time she'd tried on the uniform since she finished sewing it together. As much as she wanted to look like a confident beauty, she couldn't take herself seriously as she saw herself standing there and struggling to maintain her balance while standing several inches higher in the air than usual on much thinner heels. The stilettos trembled slightly as she attempted to maintain her balance, which was difficult as much of her focus was going to constantly reminding herself to not give in and bring her hands up and cover her exposed cleavage. Laughing too hard to maintain her focus, she collapsed in an armchair near the mirror and tried to regain her composure.

As she sat there struggling to stop herself from laughing, Angela's mind wandered back to the scene she kept imagining. In her mind, Fareeha was sitting on the sofa in the next room and waiting anxiously for a surprise she'd been promised. After letting the tension build for a moment, Angela would slowly step out dressed in the nurse's uniform, then slowly walk toward where she was sitting and bend over, leaning slightly on Fareeha's shoulder to ensure the best possible view of her décolleté. As Farrah trembled anxiously, Angela would move in closer, her breath tickling Fareeha's ear. Shimmering crimson lips pouted, she would seductively whisper...something sexy? _Damn. It was going so well this time, too._ She giggled even in her frustration at her sudden nervousness in the midst of what was unwavering confidence only a moment earlier. Still laughing at herself, she began to undress so she could put the uniform back in its hiding place in the wardrobe. It seemed impossible to her that she would ever work up the courage to follow through with her plan. So far, she couldn't even think about it without eventually bursting into embarassed giggles. Still, she certainly intended to be prepared in the event the opportunity presented itself. She took one last look at the box and thought about her fantasy again. After a moment of contemplation, she reached back into the box and pulled out the crimson lipstick and nail polish. _The whole thing may be a bit much, but this..._ She rushed across the room to open the wardrobe again. It was hardly the fantasy that she had in mind, but it was at least a small part of it. The thought filled her with renewed confidence as she tore through her dresses again.

Angela spread outfits across every available piece of furniture, then went to each of them, holding the nail polish to them and imagining the combination of colors. Completely absorbed in her work, it took a moment for her attention to be torn away from it as she heard her phone ringing. The familiar feeling of nervousness immediately started to build again. She gave an exasperated sigh before walking over to her phone and seeing the name Mei-Ling Zhou. It was a sign of how important this evening was to her that she frowned for a moment before answering. As much as she adored Mei, she knew that the call could only be about work, and she was already weary of making it clear that she would most definitely not be doing any tonight. Still, Mei was a good friend and deserved better than to be ignored. Angela reluctantly hit the button to accept the call and transferred it to the large television screen on the far wall as she pulled on her bathrobe. A small, floating camera drone left its docking station on the wall near the television and hovered just above her as she went back to walking around the room and examining the dresses.

"Doctor—Doctor Ziegler, are you there? _Can you hear me?_ " Angela looked up at the screen when she heard Mei shouting over an awful din. She stifled a laugh at the scene. Mei appeared to be in a laboratory surrounded by malfunctioning equipment while assistants ran from one end to the other with tools in hand to make repairs. Snowball zoomed around her, apparently attempting to assist. "Doctor Ziegler, are you— _Snowball, no!_ Not that one!" A small explosion could be heard in the background, and smoke began to pour from a source just off camera.

"Mei? Are you alright?" The scene ceased to be amusing to Angela as she started to worry that it was an emergency.

"Oh, I'm fine! It's nothing, really! We were just working on the new cryostasis chamber design and running some tests. It...could be going better. That's actually why I called; we're trying to make some adjustments and I was wondering if you had some time to lend some advice regarding human tolerances for—um...is this a bad time?" The commotion finally dying down, Mei looked at the camera for the first time and saw Angela standing there in her bathrobe.

"No, not at all!" Angela gave the answer automatically out of habit, but quick consideration of the situation reminded her of what she was doing a moment earlier. She felt a pain in the pit of her stomach as she remembered her earlier conversations. "Well, actually, I am preparing to leave soon. I have...an important engagement this evening."

"Oh? Meeting with ambassadors? I'm so jealous..." Mei's voice trailed off as she noticed Angela suddenly looking embarassed, unconsciously tugging at her bathrobe to pull it tighter on herself as she looked away. Mei raised an eyebrow and then turned to see that most of the assistants had stopped dead in their tracks. Realizing that she was talking to the world famous Dr. Angela Ziegler was enough to draw their notice, but seeing her standing there in her bathrobe was enough to warrant their undivided attention. Several looked embarassed. One was grinning shamelessly. They failed to grasp the severity of the situation until an uncharacteristically dark expression came over Mei's face. Just as they were noticing the sudden change of mood in the room, she began shouting as she reached out for the first thing she saw that was light enough for her to throw.

"Nǐ gěi wǒ gŭn! Go! I'll call for you when I'm done!" The assistants scattered like startled cats and fled the laboratory as various tools came flying at them. As the last assistant ran through an open door just in time to avoid being hit with a crescent wrench, Mei looked back at the camera apologetically. "Sorry, sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't realize—"

"No, don't worry about it, Mei. It was my own fault for answering the phone in my bathrobe, really. I'm a bit distracted."

"Are you having a hard time deciding?" Mei's eyes scanned the room behind Angela, seeing clothes strewn across nearly every level surface in the bedroom.

"Well, yes, a little." Angela gave an embarassed laugh as she went back to walking the room and inspecting the clothing. "It's a very important evening, after all." 

"Really? Who are you meeting?"

The simple question made Angela freeze in place. As much as she had thought about her feelings for Fareeha, she had never confessed them to anyone else. She found herself suddenly unable to speak as she felt warmth spreading across her face. "Well...that is..."

Mei considered her for a moment before smiling shrewdly. "It sounds like _somebody_ has a date tonight!" Angela was silent for a moment before smiling and nodding. "Oh my! Who is it? Anyone I would know?" Mei put her elbows on the desk in front of her and rested her chin on her hands. It was clear that she was already too invested to let the matter drop easily.

"Well...yes. I am...I am meeting Fareeha for dinner."

" _What?_ Really? Pharah? Oh, my goodness! When? How long have you been seeing each other?" Mei had to resist squealing long enough to start her barrage of questions. Snowball approached her while trying to balance what looked like a broken electrical cable. Mei absentmindedly pushed the robot aside as she stared at the monitor and anxiously awaited an answer.

"Well...that is to say..." Angela couldn't help feeling a little sad as she thought about how to answer. She tried to force her mind away from the thought of the truth by turning it in any other direction. In desperation, she tried to focus on the music playing in the background. It was a pleasant sound, but the words only made her feel worse. She sighed and gave up on trying to ignore the truth. "Well, to be honest, we are not seeing each other. I was just hoping that perhaps...well, after tonight..."

Mei's smile faded, her cheerful expression slowly being replaced with one of concern. She thought quickly for a moment before breaking the silence. "Hey, now...no need to look so sad about it! You act as though the outcome has already been decided! It sounds as though the whole reason for tonight is the search for that outcome. There's no sense in giving up before you even begin."

Angela breathed a sigh of relief. It was just like Mei to be analytical, no matter the situation. It was for this reason, however, that the words were comforting. They weren't just empty words of encouragement; approaching the situation logically, it was absolutely true. "Yes...you are right, of course. I am just worried."

Mei smiled again and clapped her hands together. "There! That sounds much better! Now...what _are_ you going to wear?" Her eyes scanned the room, trying to take in all of the different possibilities. Her eyes went back and forth between Angela and the different outfits scattered throughout the room. She looked at Angela's hands and noticed the bottle of crimson nail polish she was still holding. Her eyes darted back to one of the dresses on the bed. "Hey, what about that one? The black one!"

Angela turned to follow Mei's gaze and, when she noticed the dress, she began to blush. " _That_ one? Are you sure? Isn't it a little...?"

"It's perfect! If you want to catch a fish, you need a some bait, right?" Mei giggled, but Angela's didn't appear to be swayed. She decided to press the issue before her argument could lose momentum. "Go on, try it on! Let's see how it looks with the nail varnish! Go on, I'll wait!"

Angela considered the dress for a moment. It was almost as embarassing as the nurse's uniform. Still, she couldn't deny that Mei might be right. She looked at the bottle of nail polish in her hand and, for a brief moment, she remembered the confidence she imagined having in her fantasy. "Well...if you are certain..."

"Of course I am! Go on, go change! Meanwhile, you can tell me more! Where are you going for dinner? What time? Are you going to tell her how you feel tonight, or are you waiting for her to say something? How long have you been interested in her?"

Angela giggled at both the torrent of questions and the thought of answering them. It was more honesty than she was accustomed to sharing with anyone other than Fareeha, but this was the one thing that Angela couldn't share with her. Finally letting her secret out was an amazing relief that she didn't even realize she needed. "We are going to the restaurant in my hotel. I am certain that she will love it. It is a Mediterranean restaurant. I still remember the first time she tried couscous. The way her eyes lit up..." Angela trailed off as she remembered the moment. It was the first time she had ever thought of Fareeha as cute. "We are meeting at seven thirty. As for the rest, well...it is a long story. I'm not entirely sure about it, myself." Angela began thinking back as she temporarily disabled the camera hovering above her and took off her robe. It was a good thought to have; as always, thinking about Fareeha made her feel calm. More than that, moving forward was much easier when she thought about why she started. She picked up the dress and began telling her story to Mei with renewed hope for the outcome of the evening.


	3. The Dressing Room (Fareeha's Stall)

_Author's note: This is the second and final part of the intermission before part two begins. I was thinking of possibly doing one more of these shorter stories, but I already have ideas for part two coming to me and, to be perfectly honest, I'm too anxious to get started writing it to wait any longer. Actually, now that I think about it, this entire concept of doing side stories just doesn't seem to be working out for me; I can't stay within a word count limit I set for myself to save my life. Speaking of which, if this chapter seems a little out of place in this story, that's probably why; I started this with the intent of making a fun little distraction that would add to the story a little, but it just kept growing. From here on, I think I'm just going to consider them all to be full chapters and I'll have to ask you all to forgive me if some end up being a little shorter or longer than others._

 _On a note somewhat related to the subject of chapters, a few people have been mentioning that they're wanting to see what happens on the date. I just want to assure anyone that's curious that I won't be dragging this out. The next chapter I upload after this one begins with the start of the date, I promise. I get the feeling it's going to be a little longer than any of the others so far, so it may take me a little extra time. I'm already considering breaking it up into multiple chapters. Either way, I won't let it take too long. Please look forward to seeing the next chapter in the next few days._

 _I made a small change and, in a sense, took another liberty with the lore. I made some changes to the way I'm writing Tracer's dialogue to make it read a little closer to how I think she actually sounds (or, rather, how I think she would sound in these kinds of conversations). I'm not entirely sure about this decision, but I was looking at her dialogue from part one and the delivery of her lines felt a little stiff. I've got a little more experience this time than I did last chapter, but just as before, please don't hesitate to tell me if I've used a word or phrase incorrectly._

 _Finally, there's the music. The song that Fareeha plays in the dressing room is a cover of Lana Del Rey's "Summertime Sadness" performed by Daniela Andrade and Gia Margaret. If you've never heard either of their songs before, I highly recommend looking for them on YouTube. The song that plays as Fareeha opens the dressing room door while wearing the dress she's trying on is "At a Glance" by Message to Bears._

" _Oxton!_ Unhand me at once! Put—put me down this _instant_!" Fareeha was livid, but she was still just calm enough to realize that struggling was no use. Though she could likely escape, she wouldn't get far and there was no way to do even that much without landing on the pavement and making a mess of her dress uniform. It was strange to think that only a minute earlier, she was complaining about being dragged along by the wrist.

She'd realized too late the consequences of asking Lena for advice. From the word "dress," Lena's eyes lit up in a way that made Fareeha quite nervous. Lena had grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her mercilessly toward the transports while she used her free hand to pull out her phone and ask it to direct her to local clothing stores. Fareeha quickly gave up on the protests, and that was all the opening Lena needed to start explaining the process of being properly fitted. Fareeha was barely listening; most of her attention was focused on avoiding stepping in mud again today while trying to keep up with Lena. Walking alongside her was less humiliating than being dragged along like a misbehaving child, but Lena's pace was difficult to match even when she wasn't blinking from one place to another. More than that, Lena clearly told her that she would think nothing of dragging her along behind her like a sack of potatoes if she didn't keep up. Something about her tone made Fareeha think it was unwise to assume that she was joking. She made an honest effort to follow what Lena was saying, but when she was excited about something, following her in a conversation was no easier than following her on foot. She would catch several terms she recognized like "stitch" and "strapless," but most of it was all but completely foreign to her. She wasn't one for wearing dresses; it was conversations like this that made the practice seem like it was more trouble than it was worth. Not having any reason to think she would need the information, she never saw fit to look into it. She was already regretting that decision as it may have prevented the situation in which she now found herself.

Fareeha tried jumping back into the entirely one-sided conversation only to realize that Lena wasn't talking to her anymore. She was talking into her phone, and from the other end she could hear someone excitedly agreeing to meet with them. He was almost as difficult to follow as Lena. They were going back and forth about the time, fabric options and something about different cuts. The words flew by so quickly, Fareeha wondered how they were managing to stay on the same page. She caught just enough of the conversation to find out what was about to happen to her: She was about to be turned into a living mannequin. Just as she was submitting to her fate, she heard Lena mention something about being properly measured for a bra fitting. Fareeha's blood ran cold. The thought was utterly humiliating. She couldn't say why at the moment, and quickly decided that she didn't have time to worry about it. Her only way out was to run for it and disappear into the crowd, and noting that Lena's grip on her wrist had relaxed, she took the opportunity. It was a sign of how panicked she was that she never once considered that she had no hope of escaping on foot. Even in her Raptora armor, it would have been a matter of altitude rather than speed. She'd just completed her third step when she saw the flash of blinding blue light in front of her. By the time her vision cleared, she was in the air and being carried, her stomach resting on Lena's shoulder. Despite her tiny frame, she was startlingly strong. All around her, Fareeha could hear laughing. She didn't dare look up and meet any of their gazes. Between being utterly humiliated and not being in a position to fire a rocket at any of them, she felt like a caged animal.

"Fine, I'll go, just let me down!" Out of the corner of her eye, she was certain she saw a camera flash. This was definitely worse than anything that anyone could do to her with nothing more at their disposal than measuring tape. Despite her assurances, however, Lena tightened her grip on Fareeha's legs and didn't release it until she put her down in front of the back door of one of the transports. As she righted herself, Fareeha looked around and confirmed her fears. She had never seen so many people laughing at the same thing before, and certainly not when she was the center of attention. She suddenly understood what made Angela so nervous about giving her speech. Fareeha forced herself to tear her gaze away from them and look at Lena, who was finishing up her call and telling her phone to display some directions. Fareeha clenched her teeth in frustration as Lena looked at her, apparently oblivious to the crowd that was no doubt moving in for a closer look. Unable to resist, she looked around to confirm her suspicions and, for a moment, her eyes locked onto an open gap in the crowd that was slowly closing in on them.

"You won't get two steps this time."

 _Goddamn it._ "Fine...fine. Let's just go before this gets any worse." She grumbled as she got into the back seat and made room for Lena to get in. Noticing that at least ten full seconds had passed and she was still alone inside the transport, Fareeha forcefully pulled Lena into the backseat after looking up to see her waving to the photographers. Lena landed on the bench seat in a heap, leaning against Fareeha and laughing uncontrollably. The door eventually closed behind her—a few seconds too long to have been unintentional, in Fareeha's opinion—and the driver climbed in through his own door a moment later and looked behind him.

"W—where are we...headed, madame?" He was struggling to keep a straight face and hold in his laughter, but he was failing miserably. An icy glare from Fareeha did far more for him than his own restraint, and he immediately cleared his throat and sat up completely straight, his eyes now focused on the road ahead. Lena struggled to regain her own composure long enough to speak as she handed her phone to him, the directions already loaded and displayed.

"Oh, don't worry about her, love. She's just a little sore at me; she won't hurt you."

"You shouldn't be quite so confident in that assessment now that there's nowhere to run." The driver shivered as if he'd been hit by a cold wind, but Lena only laughed harder for it. Fareeha leveled the same glare at her, but it only served to make matters worse. Before she realized it, she was fighting back a smile of her own. For some reason, she found it impossible to maintain any significant measure of anger toward Lena for long. The only one with more influence over her was Angela. Thinking about that gave her smile renewed strength, and she turned her head to look out of a window in a final desperate attempt to hide it. "Where _are_ we going, anyway?"

"Well, we've got to get your dress sorted first. That's probably gonna take the longest. It'll be close, but I think we can pull this off. There won't be time for much in the way of alterations, but the manager assured me that he could make some calls could come up with something for you." An unfortunate detail came to mind, and Lena suddenly looked at Fareeha with a serious expression. "They're willing to help, mostly because I told them who it was that was asking. Still, it's a lot of work, see...I can tell you now that it's gonna cost a bomb."

"That will not be an issue." Fareeha pulled out her phone, her expression entirely indifferent.

"Are you sure? I mean, this place is—"

As if she wasn't listening, Fareeha began speaking into her phone, authorizing Lena to make purchases on her behalf without limitation. The approval confirmed, she handed her phone to Lena with her account balance and transfer information still displayed, then made a point of ignoring Lena's look of astonishment. While she wasn't what she considered to be wealthy by any means, money was the least of Fareeha's concerns at the moment. Helix took care of her needs, and she had little in the way of desires. Her entire salary often went directly into her savings untouched. The only time she ever gave her personal finances any serious consideration was when planning trips to see Angela. More than that, now that she was committed to the night ahead of her, she wasn't about to hold anything back. She looked at Lena, who was looking back and forth between the account balance and Fareeha in quiet awe. Sensing that she wasn't going to recover anytime soon and growing uncomfortable with the silence, Fareeha finally decided to speak up.

"The money is of no concern to me. Whatever today's cost, I have surely spent as much before in my lifetime and will no doubt spend as much again. If it will improve the evening in any way, spend it as you see fit. I...I am depending on you." It made her uncomfortable to admit it, but Fareeha truly was in need of assistance. Lena, brought back to her senses, beamed at the declaration.

"Don't worry, I've got it under control! I think I picked a real winner with this shop; they're already calling around and tracking down everything else we're gonna need. Best part is it sounds like they all speak English."

Having only met with foreign dignitaries, corporate representatives and Angela in Switzerland, Fareeha never considered this as a potential concern before. Slightly uneasy, she asked, "will that be a problem?"

"I doubt it. It sounds like the manager there is handling most of the legwork. I only thought to ask about it because I probably couldn't do it myself if it came to it. I only know enough German to impress somebody that doesn't speak German. What about you?"

Fareeha thought back to the countless times that she'd found herself studying German in recent months. On a whim, she'd started studying the basics with the hope of impressing Angela, though her career made the progress slow. Her cheeks began to feel warm. Between feeling embarrassed about not having made much progress and her reason for having ever started, saying anything on the matter suddenly felt like a mistake. "No...none." Suddenly desperate to change the subject before another question could follow, she asked, "what kind of place is this, anyway? You said something about a fitting. We don't have time for that, do we?"

"Not really. I told him we were in a hurry, but the manager insisted on it. I reckon they'll just take your measurements and do what they can with them. He insisted on it, though. That's a bridal salon for you."

Fareeha took on an unusual expression that Lena couldn't place. "B—bridal salon? What are you thinking?"

"It's the closest place I could find that could take us on without an appointment. The closest one I was likely to understand, anyway. I wouldn't worry about it, love. From the way he was talking, I think he's planning on getting your measurements and making some calls around town. I don't really get it, to tell the truth, but as long as it all works out I guess it doesn't really matter." Lena studied Fareeha with curiosity. She had gone from a look of surprise to what looked more like disappointment. Lena smiled as she deduced Fareeha's line of reasoning. It was still strange to think of her this way, but she was absolutely adorable wherever Angela was concerned. "Skipping a few steps, aren't you?" Fareeha, rapidly shifting from embarrassment to annoyance, turned away from her. Lena repressed a sigh. It was hard to resist teasing her, but it wouldn't do to annoy her into becoming uncooperative. She had just started talking somewhat normally, which was something that hadn't happened since she'd gotten into the transport. Thinking about that, she decided to change the subject to something that she had nearly forgotten to ask. "What's the big deal about a bra fitting, anyway?"

Fareeha thought about it for a moment. She'd nearly forgotten about what had sent her into a panic only minutes earlier. She thought back to the last time she'd had her measurements taken for something that didn't have a military application and remembered being fitted for a dress for the first time. She was preparing for what was supposed to be a wonderful evening out, much like tonight. The outcome of that particular evening, however, was the last thing she needed to remember just now. Fareeha found herself cursing how perceptive Lena could be. In a hurry to end the conversation, she uttered the first words that occurred to her.

"It's nothing."

"You forgot that you can't outrun me because of nothing? Seeing as you can't be expecting me to believe that's all there is to it, why don't you just get on with it?"

 _Shit._ "Really, it's nothing of consequence."

"I've got all day, but you, on the other hand..."

 _Shit, shit, shit._ "It's just...I don't have any good memories of it."

Lena suddenly looked concerned. "What happened?"

Fareeha took a deep breath before she continued with some difficulty. "It was a long time ago, before I joined the military. There was a girl..." Her voice trailed off as she found herself suddenly unable to continue.

Lena suddenly seemed excited. "Ha! I knew it! I always wondered what your love life was like! You never let on that you had any experience, so I was starting to worry earlier when you looked so nervous. With the way people drool over you, though, I knew there had to be somebody special at some point! So, who was this girl?"

Fareeha raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'drool?' "

Lena sighed somewhat impatiently. "You really ought to check your fan sites once in a while. Now, what about this girl? What happened?"

Fareeha's features seemed to tighten. "It...didn't work out. She was having a formal affair to celebrate her birthday, and with the way things were going between us, I..." She took a moment to collect herself before she continued. "...I started making preparations. I expected that I would be invited."

"What was the problem?"

"I wasn't the only one with that expectation. It turned out that only mine was unfounded."

Lena cringed. "Ouch. I'm sorry, love. How...how did you find out?"

"She stopped returning my calls." Fareeha's voice sounded oddly mechanical; it almost sounded monotone. She was determined to get through this conversation one way or another, if only to be done with it. This wasn't lost on Lena, who said the first thing that came to mind as a means of turning the conversation for the better.

"Well, at least you have a point of reference, right? Here I was worried that you didn't know anything at all. You had the chance to learn something about dating, at least."

Fareeha's carefully maintained composure began to falter. "Yes. That's the problem, I suppose; I learned that they don't last and aren't to be trusted." Pursuing anything more than what she already had with Angela couldn't be done without risk. She couldn't bear the thought of losing her in any capacity. Just the thought of taking the risk was enough to make something in her chest tighten; without thinking, she took a deep breath just to ensure that she still could.

Lena didn't understand exactly what Fareeha was thinking, but it was obvious that it couldn't be anything good. "Hey...come on, now. Don't worry about it. It's not like it's just you. You didn't hear this from me, but Mercy hasn't been much for dating, either. Not since—"

"Since...?" Fareeha's mood changed immediately, her own unpleasant thoughts temporarily forgotten in favor of satisfying her curiosity. As much as she tried to not think about it to keep from making herself worry needlessly, she couldn't truthfully say that she wasn't curious about Angela's past romantic experiences. Much of what made this whole experience so difficult was the painfully obvious possibility that she had competition out there. Worse still was the fact that if she did have competition, she was up against an enemy without a face.

Lena looked furious with herself she realized that she was trapped. She sighed as she tried to think of how to word her response. "Look, I...I shouldn't have said that much. It's really not my place. I know you've got plenty to deal with as is, but you're gonna have to ask her about it." Fareeha looked crestfallen, which was too much for Lena to take seeing. She thought for a moment and then added, "I'll just say that you're not the only one that's had a run of bad luck there. So stop worrying, yeah? You're both on even ground." Fareeha didn't say anything, still lost in thought. She did smile ever so slightly, however, which was enough to make Lena relax enough to attempt to continue the conversation. "So, have there been any others? Aside from that one cow, I mean."

Fareeha shook her head. "I never saw fit to try again."

Lena stared incredulously. "What? _Never_?"

Fareeha sighed as she tried to find a way to explain what had become instinct to her after so many years. "You know how combat is: If something almost kills you, you learn from it. You learn how to avoid it. You learn to recognize the warning signs that lead up to it. For me, this was much the same. If I found myself interested, I would start seeing warning signs. After so much time and so many warning signs, I just...stopped trying."

"Until Mercy, you mean." Lena was starting to worry, and decided to attempt to get a smile from Fareeha. Judging by how quickly she turned away, Lena figured that it was a job well done.

Several more minutes passed before the transport finally set down in front of a building that, from a distance, Fareeha had assumed was some kind of a church. It was far too large and ornately decorated to be any kind of store she had imagined. Film crews surrounded the entrance, leaving only a narrow path between the transport's landing area and the front door of the salon. She looked at Lena, already flustered.

"What is this? How do they even know we're here?"

Lena sighed as she tried to think of a way to explain the situation that Fareeha would accept. "Think of it like a business arrangement. They provide you with a service they wouldn't normally give under ridiculous circumstances. Then, they get to go around telling everybody that they did it. Meanwhile, you get to go around talking about how you're such a big, important celebrity that the best bridal salon in Zürich gave you special treatment and excellent service. People hear that this is the best bridal salon in Zürich and start coming here to find out what happened from the source. Then the whole thing starts over. Everybody wins."

Fareeha thought about it for a moment. News reports about Hana Song came to mind, and she found herself imagining flying into battle, her Raptora armor painted pink and covered with corporate logos. The thought made a chill run up her spine. "But I'm _not_ some big, important celebrity! I don't _want_ any special treatment! I just want a dress!"

Lena couldn't help smiling kindly at Fareeha. It wasn't often that you found people that were so down-to-earth that the mere suggestion that they were anything else sent them into a panic. She touched Fareeha's arm in an attempt to calm her. "I figured as much. Still, we can't get around it if we're gonna get you ready to go in time." She checked her watch and grimaced when she saw that it was already a few minutes after four o'clock. "If it helps, keep in mind that it's a fair exchange. Both of you are getting something that you normally wouldn't be able to get your hands on." Fareeha seemed to be calming down a little, so she took advantage of the momentary silence and gave her arm a gentle tug. "Come on...we've got work to do. We don't want to keep Mercy waiting."

After taking a moment to remember the reason she was there, she stepped out of the transport after Lena, her face a mask of determination. Their driver escorted them to the tall glass doors in front of the shop while dismissing questions from the reporters. As they drew near, a smiling and well-tailored man opened the door and held it open for them.

"Miss Amari! Miss Oxton! Welcome, welcome! It's such a pleasure to finally meet you! Please, come in!"

Fareeha thought about Angela's smile, and even Lena's. She compared them to the man in front of her and she was struck by a sudden urge to punch him in the mouth. Lena seemed to pick up on this and rushed in front of her to shake his hand. He introduced himself as Stefano, and made a show of bringing them inside and closing the glass doors behind them with a flourish before anyone outside could follow. He escorted Fareeha and Lena throughout the store, pointing out dresses on mannequins and mentioning the names of designers that Fareeha didn't recognize between short speeches about the history of the business and their accomplishments in the industry. Everything he was doing was clearly for the sake of presentation; he was trying desperately to impress them. Fareeha figured that this must be part of the "business arrangement" that Lena mentioned. Still, it irritated her to no end. Even if she understood the need for it, the fact remained that they were wasting time. Nearly ten minutes had passed and he had just gotten to talking about the reason they were there.

"Now, my dear, what can we do for you today? Did you have anything in mind? A particular designer, perhaps?"

Fareeha glanced at her watch and frowned. _Shit. Four fifteen._ "I'm in a bit of a hurry, so anything you have that fits me will do, really."

Stefano gave a loud, booming laugh that caused Fareeha's teeth to clench together. "Ah, no need to be so modest! Whatever your desire, I am certain we can accommodate you in the time allowed."

Seeing where the conversation was going, Lena decided to step in and get the proceedings underway. "She doesn't know what she wants, you see...she's not really the dress-wearing type, y'know? Doesn't fit in the armor."

Stefano gave another laugh, and Fareeha's teeth ground together. She knew what Lena was trying to do, so she forced herself to remain calm and not undo her work. Fortunately, it didn't take long for Stefano to realize what he was dealing with. "I see, I see! Well, we'll just have to start from the beginning, won't we? Not to worry; I have the utmost confidence in my staff and I am certain that we will be able to get the job done. In fact, I've put my best specialist to the task. Anaïs?"

Fareeha followed his gaze and saw a woman wearing an elaborate dress and a stern expression make her way toward them. She introduced herself simply as Anaïs and said that it would be a pleasure working with them. She seemed to be somewhat tense, but Fareeha already preferred her to Stefano. _At least she didn't take long._ After entrusting Fareeha to her care, Stefano excused himself, saying that he had some calls to make to ensure that his suppliers would be on standby.

When Fareeha turned face Anaïs and ask what came next, she was startled to see her waving over a group of other employees carrying large boxes, pushing carts covered in clothing and carrying bolts of fabric nearly as tall as they were. Before she could ask, Anaïs was ushering them off to a far corner of the store. All eyes were on Fareeha, and she did her best to not meet any of their gazes. It was one thing to play the role of a celebrity as part of a business arrangement if all she had to do was tell people that she liked a store, but it was another altogether to do anything beyond that. Smiling and waving to the public was as unsettling a thought to her as the thought of pink Raptora armor flying through the sky.

As they walked through a door on the far wall and into a private room, Fareeha looked around to find herself in what looked as though it could only be someone's home. The room was the size of a small apartment. There were leather couches and armchairs against two of the walls, and there were coffee tables in front of them stocked with magazines and what appeared to be tea and fresh pastries. A television screen on one of the walls was playing what appeared to be a recording of a wedding ceremony. The only thing that seemed out of place was the mannequins scattered across the room, all of them wearing expensive-looking dresses. As they reached their destination, Anaïs stopped abruptly and turned to face Fareeha, who was slightly startled. Without as much as a word of warning, she put her hand on Fareeha's back to straighten it, and then two other employees held her arms out at her sides.

What followed was ten minutes of complete chaos. Fareeha jumped when Lena, after giving a quick "sorry 'bout this," started stripping her dress uniform off of her. Anaïs hit the back of her hand and shook a finger at her when she tried to struggle. Fareeha was too stunned to work up any anger. Stripped nearly nude, a flurry of hands and fabric were flying all around her. While one pair of hands took a measurement, another would drape a piece of fabric over her shoulder or hold a dress up to her back. The cloth only stopped flying around her when Anaïs, after throwing up a hand to stop everyone, put her nose to Fareeha's neck and inhaled deeply. Before the obscenities could form in Fareeha's mind, Anaïs called out to one of her assistants who quickly pushed over a cart full of boxes. Three of them dropped what was in their hands and started pulling out bottles of perfume and placing small drops on different parts of Fareeha's body. Anaïs waited a few seconds, then sniffed each of them. She gave another wave and everyone in the room was once again a blur of motion. They were all shouting colors and numbers of centimeters at each other and, in the middle of it all, Anaïs was asking her questions about her favorite styles, designers, colors and fragrances. Fareeha decided later that evening that she had never seen a more frustrated person aside from herself. Every "I don't know" or "I've never heard of him" was met with an incredulous stare. Had Fareeha not been so flustered herself, she might have found it amusing. Finally fed up with the barrage of questions she couldn't hope to answer, her temper got the better of her after a question about something called "princess seams" and she couldn't stop herself from lashing out.

" _I don't know!_ I have no idea what you're talking about! I haven't understood a thing you've said to me beyond 'hello!' " Everyone stopped in their tracks and started slowly backing away from her. Hearing Lena begin to apologize on her behalf brought her to her senses, and she was finding herself surprised to regret having yelled at someone. She took a deep breath before apologizing.

"I...I'm sorry. I'm just frustrated...and nervous. I honestly don't know anything that I could say to any of you that might help you aside from my shoe size. If it doesn't help me stop a bullet or make something explode, I'm not likely to have ever worn it."

The employees considered Fareeha for a moment before cautiously approaching her with fabric and dresses again, but Anaïs waved them away. She was looking at the ground and seemed to be lost in thought; something in Fareeha's words seemed to have caught her attention, and it didn't seem to be the apology. Judging solely by her expression, it was difficult to say whether or not she'd even noticed it. After a long pause, she looked up at Fareeha.

"This event you have tonight is a date, is it not? A romantic evening?"

"Y—yes. It is." Fareeha suddenly felt nervous as she struggled to follow Anaïs's line of thought.

"With someone that you know?"

Fareeha wondered for a moment if she was being teased. She couldn't imagine going through this much trouble for anyone she didn't know. "Yes."

"Someone you know well?"

"Yes." This was quickly becoming exhausting, but at least these were questions she could answer.

"And you are going to a restaurant, yes? Which one?"

Fareeha decided against asking what relevance the question had. "A restaurant in Angela's hotel. It was called...er..."

"Angela?"

"Mercy," Lena added helpfully.

Voices rose as the smiling employees began discussing the implications of this new development, but Anaïs impatiently waved at them again and they immediately fell silent. "Ah...Doctor Ziegler. That could only be Maritsa. Hmm..two stars..."

Despite feeling that it was best to remain silent for the moment, Fareeha was overwhelmed with questions as to how these questions could be at all related to helping her find a dress, how she knew Angela or what she meant about stars. Just as she was about to give in to her curiosity, Anaïs suddenly looked up and started speaking loudly to her assistants in German. They exchanged uneasy glances and, after a harsh glare from Anaïs, they rushed around the room, apparently searching for something. One of them produced a phone and walked to a corner of the room, having what sounded like a heated discussion with someone. Before Fareeha could ask what was happening, Anaïs walked over to one of the carts that had been pushed in the room and pulled it toward Fareeha. "Your shoe size...what is it?"

"Thirty eight."

Anaïs repeated the number to one of her assistants and waved toward the door, and she immediately took off running through it. Before she could leave the room, Anaïs was carefully studying the cart, reading the sides of boxes before pulling one out of the middle. Fareeha was beginning to grow impatient with not understanding what was happening, but before she could ask, Anaïs handed her a the box. "Here, put these on."

Fareeha opened the box and her blood ran cold. Inside was a pair of black high heeled sandals covered in crossing velvet straps. Never once had Fareeha considered that this might be expected of her. "Is there perhaps another pair of shoes that I could try? Something without...without a heel?"

"Come now, we have to hurry. This is no time for humor—" Anaïs stopped and looked at Fareeha, who was staring into the box as if whatever was inside might explode. She took a deep breath and, after regaining her composure, she put her hand on Fareeha's arm and gently pulled her toward one of the armchairs. "Here...sit." She took the sandals out of the box and quickly slid Fareeha's feet into them. Her hands moved faster than Fareeha's eyes could follow as she wrapped the straps around her ankle. Once she was done, she stood and took several steps back. "Now, stand up...slowly."

Fareeha stood and, after wavering slightly for a few seconds, attempted to take her first step. She had no way to explain how it happened, but her ankle gave out beneath her almost immediately when her heel touched the carpet. She lifted her face from the carpet and, after looking down at the shoes and taking a deep breath, let loose a torrent of obscenities in Arabic that lasted the entire time she struggled back to her feet. The rest of the room went silent as everyone looked on in either confusion or fear. Lena, sensing the sudden change in the mood of the room, smiled nervously and waved to them.

"N—not to worry! Everything's fine! She...she does that sometimes." She glared at Fareeha with the hope of getting her attention, but it was no use. By that point, Fareeha had landed on the carpet again and moved on from cursing the shoes to wishing damnation on whoever made them. Without warning, she looked up at Anaïs with a terrifying gaze that made even Lena jump.

"You don't seriously expect me to actually walk in these ridiculous things, do you?"

Anaïs, thoroughly frustrated by this point, completely ignored the question and knelt down to help Fareeha to her feet. "What did you think you would be wearing, combat boots?" It was telling of how seriously Anaïs took her work that she seemed to have taken absolutely no notice of Fareeha's anger. She also seemed to have been personally affronted by the disregard for the salon's merchandise.

"Well, they would certainly be more effective. And comfortable," she added as she noted the pain beginning to increase in her toes and a growing fatigue in her calves. "Are they _supposed_ to hurt?"

"Yes." Anaïs seemed to find the question offensive. Fareeha looked to Lena for confirmation, but she could only offer a sheepish smile as she shrugged. "Well...yeah, kinda."

Fareeha stared at Lena with wide eyes. She was certain that Anaïs wasn't serious, but Lena wasn't likely to hear a well-timed joke without at least smiling at it. "This can't possibly be worth the trouble! Just...just let me wear something else!"

If Anaïs heard her, she didn't do anything to show it. She produced a phone and started talking to someone, saying to bring back a mid heel instead. She put the phone down on a nearby table and turned back to Fareeha, who was standing with her arms out at her sides and trying to remain balanced. Her stern expression softened slightly. "I...think you might be overthinking this a bit."

Lena looked up as if struck by sudden inspiration. "Yeah! You're just learning something new. Think of it like training." The word seemed to strike a chord with Fareeha. She remained silent, but she started to look a little more relaxed.

Anaïs pointed at the ground, and Fareeha's eyes followed. For the first time, she noticed that Anaïs was wearing shoes with an even higher heel than the ones on which she was currently standing. "Watch...like this. Heel, then toe." She started slowly walking back and forth across the room as Fareeha studied her intently. After crossing the room twice, she looked at Fareeha. "Your turn. Slowly, now." After a look of nervousness from Fareeha, she added, "it's just training, remember? Just practice walking. Don't forget: Heel, then toe."

Lena breathed a sigh of relief after the first two steps, and then winced as Fareeha hit the floor again, this time taking a mannequin with her. She rushed to help her up, but she had a confused expression. "You...you _have_ walked before. I'm sure of it. I've seen you at it."

Her face turning a deeper shade of red by the second, Fareeha stood, holding another mannequin for support and ignoring Anaïs's gasp at the wrinkles being created in the mannequin's dress. "This is not training! This is slow torture!"

Anaïs clicked her tongue impatiently. "Then what do _you_ call training?"

Frustration getting the better of her, Fareeha looked across the room and found a clear path between the carts piled with cloth. Without warning, she took off running on her toes and dove, tucking at the last moment and performing a flawless combat roll. She stopped just short of knocking over another mannequin. She couldn't help smiling at herself; it wasn't exactly walking, but she made it from where she started to where she intended to go without falling over. Everyone in the room stopped and watched in open-mouthed bewilderment as she stood and repeated the drill, this time startling one of the employees into dropping the bolt of cloth she was holding. Lena looked toward Anaïs, who was still frozen in a stunned silence as Fareeha was making a third attempt.

"You've gotta admit, it looks like it's working better than the 'heel, then toe' thing."

Despite the commotion it caused, everyone seemed to be grateful for Fareeha's breakthrough. After a few more repeats of the drill, she stood and made another attempt to simply walk. She wavered slightly for the first few steps and leaned on Lena for support several times, but by the time she crossed the room, she seemed to have it largely under control. She still looked a little stiff, but Anaïs seemed certain that she would be fine, although she insisted that the practice continue while they waited for another delivery. After a few minutes, another employee came in with another cart full of shoe boxes. Anaïs started directing them in German, and they began moving most of the clothing and samples to a far corner. Fareeha smiled as she made a show of smoothly walking around them as they worked, never once breaking her stride. The look of pride she had on her face was quickly wiped away when Anaïs put her hands on her shoulders to hold her in place, then raised her arms and started sniffing every part of her body where perfume had been applied. After a minute, she stopped and stood up straight, smiling. "As I thought!" She turned to one of her assistants and sternly said, "Bvlgari Black. Go." Fareeha looked as if she were about to ask, but she was interrupted as three of the employees started rubbing all of the spots where the perfume had been applied with what smelled and looked like coffee beans and damp towels. Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, they were ushering her over to a chair while one of them pulled out what looked like a plastic pistol and another started swabbing her earlobes with antiseptic.

Lena didn't bother resisting the urge to burst into uncontrollable laughter at the sight of Fareeha being swabbed, reminding her of a cornered dog that had finally been forced into the bath. In spite of this, she couldn't help being amazed at how quickly she'd improved. Once she thought about it, though, it wasn't all that surprising. This was just the sort of thing that Fareeha seemed to be made to do. Had this all taken place when she was on a firing range or while she was testing some new armor design, she'd surely have already mastered it and been looking bored by now. Lena was certain that it was really only her being so flustered over being in unfamiliar surroundings that had her out of sorts, and the evening ahead couldn't possibly be helping that. Lena's assumptions seemed to be confirmed when the small plastic machine hissed as it pierced Fareeha's earlobe and she sat still with a completely blank expression, indeed looking bored in comparison to her ordeal with the high heels. She looked up as Fareeha, finally cleaned to Anaïs's satisfaction, started practicing her walking again. She didn't look nearly as stiff as she did even a minute earlier. Lena smiled as she watched Fareeha turn with a flourish and nearly lose her balance, and was just about to laugh and tell her that was what she deserved for getting cocky when she saw Fareeha hold her arms out again to keep her balance. It finally dawned on Lena that something was out of place.

"Hey, what's with your hands?"

"What do you mean?" Fareeha looked at her with a confused expression after having stood up straight.

"I've never seen you with those before. You usually wear the metal ones, don't you?"

Fareeha suddenly looked embarrassed about having to tell this story again. "It was...for the children."

"In that case, you should've worn the others."

Fareeha couldn't contain a soft laugh after remembering having this same conversation with Angela. "You might be right."

"What about tonight, then? Which ones are you wearing?"

Just as Fareeha started to fret over the matter, Anaïs broke through her thoughts. "Oh, you really should wear these," she said brightly. "You wouldn't want to ruin the effect of the dress." She seemed to be thinking about something for a moment, and then turned to a rolling rack filled with dresses. After a few seconds of digging through them, she turned to Fareeha while holding a dress with long sleeves. "What do you think about this one? This suits you well, don't you think? The sleeves will eliminate any...unnecessary concerns."

Fareeha followed her gaze down at her arms again and fidgeted. "Yes, I think that would be best."

Lena suddenly looked alarmed. "Wait, what? No! You're gonna want something that shows off your arms!"

"What? But _why_? It might be a good idea to cover any seams from my prosthetics. And my...my scars."

Lena's eyes swept over Fareeha's skin. With all of the commotion, she hadn't noticed it before now, but there was a small number of scars across her body. They appeared to be old wounds, largely from stray bullets and plasma burns. Lena cringed as she saw what she believed to have been left by a knife's blade. On a close inspection, a seam could just barely be seen where her upper arms connected to her prosthetics that began with her elbows.

Seeing Lena's sudden look of shock, Fareeha added, "I didn't always wear armor." She glanced down at her arms again, looking dejected.

Her mind racing for a way to finally change Fareeha's mood for the better, Lena recalled the memory that prodded her to speak up. Fareeha, having just completed a mission, was in an infirmary and awaiting medical treatment and repairs. As she was inspecting her Raptora armor's gauntlet, she was turning her arm and causing her bicep to flex. As Angela was turning to her to begin treating her wounds, she stopped in mid-stride and stared for a few seconds, her eyes wide and her lips slightly parted. Lena blushed as she struggled to find a way to make her point without saying what she was thinking. "Just...just trust me on this. She'll want to see your arms."

Fareeha eyed her suspiciously as she tried to make sense of what she was saying. After considering it for a moment, she finally decided that since she had trusted Lena to bring her this far, it was likely best to continue doing so. If nothing else, she was still quite far outside of her own areas of expertise. "Very well...if you're certain. At least something sleeveless would have less material."

"What difference does that make?"

"The simplest solution is often the best."

Anaïs suddenly looked at Fareeha, her eyes wide. Struck by sudden inspiration, she shouted something incomprehensible to one of her assistants and then began running out of the room while shouting behind her. "Wait...wait right there!" Lena watched her disappear through the door and raised an eyebrow. She looked to Fareeha in hopes of finding an explanation for what she'd just seen, but Fareeha only sat there, staring at the doorway and looking unsettled.

"What's wrong, Pharah?"

"I don't have a good feeling about this."

Lena noted Fareeha's serious tone and began to grow nervous. "What are you thinking, love?"

"She looks too happy. I don't like it. She just got done trying to break my ankles; I think it may be a good idea to leave before she returns."

Lena gave an exasperated sigh. "Just sit tight and practice staying right end up." After thinking for a moment, she turned to Fareeha again. "Hey...are you sure about the prosthetics? I mean, you should wear what you want. I'm pretty sure Mercy would agree."

It was at that moment that Fareeha's appreciation of Lena grew. It was a simple thing to say, but it made a significant difference to her to hear it. "Thank you. I'm certain you're right; that does sound like something she would say. This evening isn't really about me, though. It's about her. If there's even a small chance that this could work out somehow, I need to do everything I can to ensure that it does...even if it means I'm a little uncomfortable for one night. Still, I appreciate your concern." Fareeha uncharacteristically fidgeted a little as she stood there looking at the ground. Accepting acts of kindness from people was an unfamiliar feeling to her. People saved her life on a regular basis, but they were family, and she did the same for them just as often. This was different. Lena wasn't one of her subordinates or family; they didn't even know each other particularly well. She was just being nice, with neither obligation nor expectation of personal gain to motivate her. She couldn't say why, but Fareeha found the thought unsettling. "Why are you going through so much trouble, anyway?"

"I just like seeing good things work out. Besides, Mercy's been through a lot. She...she could do with a good woman that'll treat her right."

Fareeha had to stop herself from breathing a sigh of relief when Lena didn't seem to find any malicious intent in her question. She regretted having asked as soon as she heard the words leave her mouth. She was merely curious, but she couldn't honestly say that there wasn't a note of suspicion in her mind. When the question came out, it sounded to her like an accusation. Hearing Lena compliment her in response to it filled her with guilt. Now, as she was seriously considering the possibility, it sounded ridiculous. Lena was most decidedly not the type to do anything underhanded. At her core, she was kind-hearted and innocent, always cheerfully hoping for the best against all odds. Plotting against someone simply wasn't in her nature. If nothing else, she just didn't have the patience it took to deceive someone. It wasn't much, but Fareeha felt that the least she could do in return was reassure her.

"I will do my best. You have my word. And again, thank you."

Lena smiled widely. "Aww! Don't even worry about it, Pharah."

Fareeha was suddenly struck by an idea. "Oxto—Lena. You...you don't have to refer to me by my call sign." It didn't seem like much of a gesture to her, but she felt the need to do something to show her appreciation, and putting the two of them on more casual terms seemed like a good first step.

Lena struggled with the pronunciation for a few seconds before giving up on it. "Thanks, but...Pharah's easier." She looked up at Fareeha, whose deep contemplation made for a misleading expression. "S—sorry. It's just, well...my tongue kinda hurts now."

Despite the flood of emotions running through her and her resulting frustration and fatigue, Fareeha couldn't keep the smile from forming on her face. "Don't worry about it, Lena. You'd be surprised how often I hear that."

A few minutes later, Anaïs burst through the door while holding a black garment bag. Just as Fareeha was about to ask what was going on, Anaïs started shooing everyone out of the room. Lena was allowing herself to be pushed out, but she still protested. "Oh, come on! I wanna see it!"

"Want to see _what_?" Fareeha examined the bag, entirely unsure of what to do with it. "What _is_ this thing?"

Anaïs looked back at her, still smiling as she pulled the door closed behind her. "A simple solution."

Alone in the room, Fareeha found herself grateful for the sudden silence. For the first time since she'd arrived in the park that morning, she felt like she could think a little more clearly. She thought about the day as she opened the bag and realized that there was a black dress inside. She slowly removed it as she recounted the day's events. Thinking about it now, it seemed like it should be a dream come true. In spite of this, it felt as though she were on the verge of some great tragedy. She continued to replay the day in her mind and, when she remembered the conversation she was having with Lena a few minutes earlier, she felt a knot of nervous energy in her stomach starting to tighten. Warning signs. That was what she had said she watched out for. After thinking about the mockery of a relationship she once had day after day for years on end, she felt she had managed to deduce exactly what it was that she should have noticed that would have warned her about what was coming. She could never be entirely certain; there was never any measure of closure to the relationship, so her every last question went unanswered. Still, that didn't explain why she felt so conflicted about Angela. After thinking about it for a moment, it occurred to her that, even looking at it rationally, the complete lack of warning signs was indeed troubling. She was just sitting there and waiting for it all to go wrong. That had to be it. She was just nervous because she was quickly approaching the point at which her last relationship ended, and just like then, she wasn't seeing anything that was warning her of impending doom. There. Problem solved.

 _Then why don't I feel any better?_

There was still something nagging at her that she couldn't quite identify. Something about this entire situation made her feel as though she would turn herself inside out with worry, and it was made worse by the fact that she didn't even understand why. Just as she was about to give up on the thought, her conversation with Lena in the park suddenly came to mind. Lena's words came back to her as though they were haunting her.

 _I might have all the time in the world, but you should probably get on with it, don't you think?_

Fareeha's mood took a sudden turn from depression to fear. _How much time do I have to get over this? How long can I wait? If this is my opportunity, how long will it last? If I get this wrong, will I have another chance?_ She shook her head. She didn't know how to deal with being sad, but she certainly knew how to deal with fear. Those thoughts made her realize that, no matter what else she was feeling, she was definitely afraid. She found this unacceptable, even entirely removed from the matter of trying to move things forward with Angela. She pulled out her phone and started her favorite playlist, beginning with one track in particular. _If I'm going to take this seriously, then I should start from the beginning._ She set her phone on a nearby table as the familiar sounds started playing. She spent a long time associating this song with a girl she knew once in a completely different life, and twice as long trying to disassociate the two. Thinking about it again in light of her most recent thoughts, though, it seemed more like running away than dealing with it. The music reached her and seemed to be carrying pain along with it. She took a deep breath and forced herself to endure it. _I think it's long since time for me to deal with this. Besides, I like this song. That cow doesn't deserve it._ Silently thanking Lena for what she assumed was an appropriate term, she took the dress in her hands and started pulling it on over her head.

After a few minutes, she heard Anaïs give an impatient knock on the door. "Is everything alright in there?"

"J—just a minute more!"

The interruption derailed her train of thought, and it quickly became clear that solving this problem was going to take more than just trying to remain indignant, even if that was a good start. Righteous anger is excellent motivation, but it doesn't last. Just as she was beginning to feel doubt creeping into her mind again, she heard the next song in her playlist begin. Her mood shifted in an instant. It was a serene sound, but that alone couldn't calm her. It had a slow pace and didn't have much to it, but it was beautiful in its simplicity. That was something that rarely drew Fareeha's attention. More than that, the few words the song had to offer were just what she needed to hear. It sounded like the sort of thing that Angela would appreciate, and it was that thought that first led her to make the playlist she'd started making for her weeks ago. She'd spent several nights putting off sleep in favor of imagining how she might react to it, just as she did any time she sent Angela a gift. She dreamed of her smile and a blossoming appreciation. Perhaps, if she could make that happen enough times, it would start growing and not stop. It always seemed like a ridiculous hope when she thought about it, but this time it gave her confidence. She was mere hours away from finally taking that first step; only that morning, such a thing had seemed implausible at best. It was difficult for her to argue that, ridiculous or not, the actions she had taken and the decisions she had made were what led her to this point. _It's a silly wish from a hopelessly foolish woman...but silly wishes like that have brought me this far. If this is to succeed, I suppose the best plan would be to keep doing what works._ She thought about it for a moment and realized that also just like any time she sent Angela a gift, she put off sending it out of what she now knew was fear. She picked up her phone and, after typing a quick message, initiated a file transfer. She put her phone down and did her best to clear her mind, focusing on the serene sound of the music as she repeated her new mantra. _Heel, then toe. Heel, then toe._ Her hand trembling slightly on the dressing room doorknob as she turned it, she slowly pulled the door open to let everyone back in.

Fifteen minutes later, Fareeha was changed back into her dress uniform and back in the front of the salon with Lena. She was holding a shoebox and the garment bag that Anaïs had given her only after taking the dress back to make what she would only refer to as "last minute alterations." It felt somewhat bigger and heavier than it did the first time, and it was really only a lack of extra time that kept her from asking for more information. Lena was also holding a garment bag, but just as Fareeha was about to ask what was in it, they rounded a corner and she saw everyone in the store standing there, smiling and waiting to send them off. She was so overwhelmed by the gesture that the question was driven from her mind. The entire store had assembled at the front desk, looking quite proud of themselves. Fareeha thought about all that they had accomplished since she walked in and couldn't help smiling back at them. _Well, I can't say you don't deserve to be proud, can I?_ Anaïs looked particularly pleased, but also strangely sad. She looked at Fareeha as if she were watching her child move away from home. Fareeha could only imagine from the expression on Stefano's face that he was mentally preparing himself to speak to the press. Thinking about the press, she looked outside through the front doors and saw film crews that were aiming their cameras at her. Reporters stood ready with microphones and recorders in hand, many of them standing on their toes to get a better view inside the salon. She gave an exasperated sigh, but she still couldn't help feeling relieved to finally be leaving. Compared to the time she spent squeezing herself into dresses and getting carpet burns on her legs from falling, she was almost relieved to only have to wade through the crowd outside to put this experience behind her, assuming she could find the energy. Now that it was all done, she felt drained. As much as she wanted to leave, however, she couldn't bring herself to do it just yet. _I can't be quite that rude...not deliberately, at least._ She walked to the door and turned to face everyone inside.

"This...this is an important evening for me, and I could not have prepared for it if you hadn't offered your assistance under these unusual circumstances. Thank you all for you help."

Lena jabbed her in the ribs with her elbow. "And...?"

Fareeha scowled, but gave in when she couldn't find the words to argue. "And...and for not..."

"Telling us to clear off." Lena smiled and finished the sentence for her, then pulled Fareeha out of the door by her wrist as she looked at her watch. "Let's go, love. It's five thirty and we aren't done yet."

"Where are we going now?" Fareeha was so nervous about what ordeal could follow the previous one that she forgot to be irritated about being pulled along or having to push her way through the crowd that began closing in on them as soon as the doors opened.

"We need to get you back to your hotel room and cleaned up. Stefano already made the call to set it up. The beauticians will meet us there."

Fareeha raised an eyebrow as they made their way past the driver and climbed into the transport. "Beauticians? As in two?"

"Three, actually."

Fareeha's mind struggled to find three separate jobs in helping someone take a shower. "Why on earth would I need that many?"

"There's more work to be done than time to do it. There's a lot of fine details to consider, and we haven't got time for half of them. The main things are that you've got to get something done with your hair, someone's got to sort out your makeup and an extra pair of hands could get your nails done at the same time."

"My nails?" Fareeha looked down at her hands, almost having forgotten after the emotional departure from the salon that she indeed had fingernails today. No matter how many times she looked down at them, she couldn't get used to seeing anything other than carbon fiber reinforced polymer.

"Well, you're getting a manicure, naturally...hey, now, don't look at me like that! Wearing those mitts was _your_ idea, if you recall."

Fareeha was certainly scowling, but not just because of the manicure. She had already started to become comfortable with the idea that she was done being examined like a laboratory specimen. She pushed the thought aside; it had to get done, and the sooner she started, the sooner it would be over. "Is there anything I should know this time? Should I be reviewing my torture resistance training while we travel?"

Lena rolled her eyes as she leaned back into the soft leather of the bench. "It's just a manicure, love. It's not like it's gonna hur—" Lena cut herself off when she thought about the first time she'd ever had one. They weren't an issue now that she had years of experience with knowing what to expect, but the first time was a bit of a different matter. They weren't what she would call painful, exactly, but it was worth noting that Fareeha's patience had been exhausted more than an hour ago. Also, unlike her own first time, Fareeha clearly wasn't excited about the experience. Worse than anything else, this was only as bad as it got if everything went according to plan. It wasn't hard to see how this could go wrong. Remembering the combat rolls in the salon, she tried to imagine a military-inspired response to someone's errant twitch with a cuticle pusher and found herself repressing a shudder. She glanced down and considered the prosthetics for a moment. She knew that they were intended to replicate not only a natural appearance, but also natural sensations, for better or worse. Not seeing an easy way out of this, she looked at Fareeha apprehensively. "Hey, you can turn off the pain signals in those things, right?"

Remembering her earlier determination and already feeling ridiculous for even having asked, Fareeha was about to scoff at the thought, saying that it couldn't be worse than the high heels. It was remembering a time years earlier when she had once said something similar about high heels long before ever trying to wear them that brought her up short. Suddenly feeling uneasy, she pulled out her phone. Lena, who was already feeling nervous, tried to look at the phone's screen. "What...what are you doing?"

"Downloading the prosthetics' user's manual."

A few minutes later, they found themselves in the hotel lobby and being waved to by a man and two women she didn't recognize. They were all dressed alike, wearing black tunics and matching pants. Assuming that these must be the beauticians, she sighed and prepared herself for another round of prodding and, going with the odds, pain.

"Miss Amari! Miss Oxton! Hello...it's nice to finally meet you. My name is Nadine, and this is Quentin and Pauline. We'll be taking care of you this afternoon." Fareeha held her hand out as they approached, but Nadine walked right past her and started circling her. Fareeha looked to Lena for an explanation for what was happening, but Lena merely shrugged. After two full passes, Nadine finally stopped. "Well, we do have a quality canvas this time, don't we? Well, let's get going; time is short and there's much work to do." Without another word, she signaled to Quentin and Pauline who, after tearing their eyes away from Fareeha and Lena while smiling and giving excited waves, followed after her. It seemed that they already knew where they were going. Fareeha turned to Lena and opened her mouth, but thought better of it when she saw Lena looking after them and appearing to be as confused as she was. _At least this looks like it will go faster than the salon._

Nearly an hour later, she had showered and changed into the clothes inside of the garment bag Anaïs had given her. Inside was more than just the dress; there was also a small black box containing a bottle of what she assumed was the perfume Anaïs had chosen. The box had a small white card attached to it with some simple instructions written about exactly where to spray it. There was also two small jewelry boxes containing a pair of earrings and an intricately woven bracelet. There was also a lacy black strapless bra and a matching pair of panties that were all but completely backless. Fareeha turned a deep crimson and was already thinking of excuses to leave them behind when she noticed what looked like another small card tucked inside of the bra. On one side was a note that could only have been written by Anaïs. _Everything is important. Wear it all._ Fareeha thought about it for a moment and, considering all of the careful measurements and testing she had endured, she was forced to admit to herself that if Anaïs said that it was important, it must be. Reminding herself that she had already made the decision to sacrifice personal comfort for a successful outcome, she sighed and did her best to get dressed without looking at herself.

As soon as she stepped out of the bathroom, the beauticians descended on her, straightening her dress before wrapping a plastic cloak around her shoulders and pulling her toward the armchair in the corner. For what felt to Fareeha like the hundredth time that day, she heard terms being thrown around that she only barely understood. The words were familiar, but their intended use in the context of choosing makeup was often lost on her. She recognized "foundation" and "eyeshadow" and she even felt comfortable assuming that, when they asked whether she had dry or oily skin, answering with "somewhere in the middle, I suppose" was a sufficient answer. When asked questions about her undertone, however, she was at a complete loss. She found herself curious for a moment when Nadine turned over her wrist as part of her investigation, but when she was told that Nadine was looking at her veins for the answer, Fareeha decided that she'd rather not know. She simply stated that her hands were prosthetics in the event that it was pertinent information. It seemed that it was; Nadine dropped her hand, ran over to an open briefcase and pulled out what appeared to be color swatches. She then came back to Fareeha's side and started holding each of them to her face. Fareeha did her best to keep calm. _It's for tonight. It's for Angela. I'm almost there._

Just as she was starting to relax, she heard Nadine say something about her eyebrows. Getting the feeling she should probably find out what was going on, she looked up at Nadine. "My eyebrows? What about them?" Fareeha suddenly looked confused as she followed Nadine's gaze toward Quentin, who had started heating up what looked like honey. "What...what is _that_?"

Lena followed Fareeha's gaze, then sighed as she realized that she'd forgotten to mention one of the least pleasant details of the beauticians' intentions. "It's...well, it's wax."

Fareeha looked confused for a moment as she wondered what they were about to polish, but it didn't take long for her to understand what they were planning. She looked at the wax again and a dark expression came over her features. The beauticians looked at each other with nervous expressions for a moment before Quentin finally cleared his throat and spoke to Lena, not daring to look in Fareeha's direction as he did so.

"A—are we going to have to hold her down for this?"

After a raised eyebrow and a sideways glance from Fareeha, Lena decided to quickly separate herself from the proceedings. While she normally knew better than to take Fareeha too seriously, it had been a long day and she looked like a dangerous combination of irritation and fatigue. "You're welcome to try, but I'll be sitting that one out, thanks. She's already brassed off and looking for a good excuse." She thought for a moment and then, smiling shrewdly as she remembered a moment in the salon, she raised her voice and added, "just remember that it's for Mercy, yeah?"

All of the beauticians turned their heads toward Fareeha, their nervousness instantly replaced with curiosity. After seeing the placid expression that had suddenly taken over Fareeha's face, it was easy enough to guess at the implications of Lena's comment. Fareeha was startled out of her sudden reverie by an excited squeal, and she looked up at three eager faces that began firing questions at her all at once. Lena struggled to not undo her own work by laughing out loud and drawing any attention to herself. Fareeha's face had begun to turn a deep scarlet, and she looked thoroughly flustered as she tried and failed to deflect the beauticians' questions. She didn't even seem to even notice when Pauline gently pushed her back in her seat and tilted her head upward, only stopping her questions long enough to tell her to hold very still. Lena started to feel a little guilty about what she'd done, but it was still better than what the alternative was shaping up to become. Another quick thought of the combat rolls in the salon was all it took to convince her that this was for the best.

It took nearly all of the time they had available to them, but at around ten minutes after seven, Nadine proudly announced that their work was done. Lena, who was watching the clock nervously and pacing the entire time, didn't waste any time getting Fareeha moving. "Great! You're all set...oh! Hold on a tic—you already know about formal dining, right? Which one is the dinner fork and all that." Lena immediately regretted asking, but when she saw the look of horror on Fareeha's face, she knew the damage was done. She didn't understand what Fareeha was saying to herself as she sat there, staring blankly at nothing in particular and mumbling absentmindedly in Arabic. Something about her expression told Lena that she was probably better off for that. "N—never mind...don't worry about it. It's not important. Let's just get you up and get your shoes on. It's almost time to leave, so you'd best start walking now if we're gonna get you there on time. Don't worry, we'll clean up here." Fareeha slowly stood, but her expression had yet to change. She stepped into her new shoes with a blank expression. As the beauticians started conversing amongst themselves in German with looks of concern, Lena did her best to dismiss their fears; it wouldn't help matters at all to bring Fareeha back to reality just to have her look around and see someone look like they were confirming whatever she was thinking. "Oh, not to worry! Just a case of the collywobbles. She'll be fine." She turned to Fareeha and repeated, "you'll be _fine_. It's Mercy, remember? She's not gonna care about which fork you use. I shouldn't have even asked." Lena breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that giving her Angela to occupy her mind was finally bringing her around. She undid the knot at the back of the plastic cloak and started pulling it off of her, suddenly excited to see the end result of the effort. "Come on, then! Let's have a look at you!"

There was a sudden silence in the room. Fareeha looked around and saw four pairs of eyes locked onto her. Pauline was smiling at her as if she were in a trance. Nadine looked as if she were about to cry. Quentin was looking quite proud of himself, and Lena merely stared blankly with her mouth open. All four of them seemed to be dumbstruck. Fareeha struggled to read the mood of the room.

"What? What is it? Is something wrong?"

Lena only smiled and shook her head, then took her by the wrist and started leading her toward the hotel room door. She reached into a wardrobe and pulled out the black garment bag that she'd been given in the salon. Just as Fareeha was remembering to ask what was inside, Lena unzipped it and pulled out a black wool topcoat and handed it to her. She was still smiling and silent.

Fareeha looked at everyone in the room from the door. Having suddenly arrived at the moment she'd hoping to see for longer than she could clearly remember, she couldn't help feeling a sudden appreciation for everyone there that had done so much to help her. She struggled for a moment, opening her mouth and then closing it again as she searched for the right words. She only stopped when Lena gave her a gentle push out of the door.

"Go on, get going before you're late. Don't worry, you can say it later when you have time."

Fareeha made one more attempt and, failing once again, she decided that Lena was right. She had less than twenty minutes to get to Angela's hotel room, and she would only make it on time if she left immediately. With another flustered glance back at everyone in the room, she finally gave up on it in favor of being on time. Even "heel, then toe" was pushed out of her mind as she put all of her focus into keeping herself moving forward.


	4. Hello Again

_Update: The superscript mentioned in the author's note didn't translate well here, so I've put the numbers in parentheses instead until I can find a better solution._

 _Author's note: As I write this, I can already see that this chapter is running long. I'm going to have to break it into at least two smaller parts, and possibly a third. There's quite a bit of story here, and the chapters that follow the date may very well depend upon having explained things properly. I'd rather take the time necessary to put all of the information out now than risk having a confusing story later. The good news is that it at least hopefully won't take as long to produce these next several chapters as they have already been started in some capacity._

 _There are more songs than usual for the next several chapters, so I'm going to try something new to streamline the process of making references to them. I've numbered them with superscript and listed the numbers and their corresponding songs below. I'm hoping that this will be an effective way of listing songs with particular importance to the story for anyone that's curious about them without taking anyone away from the story that simply wants to read on._

 _1\. "Complicated" by Heavens to Betsy_

 _2\. "Everything is Borrowed" by The Streets_

 _3\. "Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way" by The Streets_

 _4\. "When I'm Thinking About You" by The Sundays_

Angela's hand trembled slightly as she gently touched two of her fingernails together. She closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief as they separated without incident. She closely inspected the shimmering crimson polish on them and smiled at the flawless finish. After gently tapping them together several more times and feeling satisfied that they were finally dry, she closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. With the last coat finally having dried, she was officially done preparing. She had been meticulously examining every last detail as she readied herself. Realizing that there was nothing left to do but wait, she found herself suddenly growing restless, and her hands shook with anticipation. When she started feeling a knot tighten in her stomach, she started walking around the bedroom, picking up clothes and haphazardly throwing them back into suitcases simply for something to do.

"You look like you're doubting yourself again."

Angela jumped as she looked up at the television screen, startled to hear Mei's voice. In her determination to focus on managing every last detail of her appearance, she had almost forgotten the conversation she was having. "Pardon me, Mei. I suppose you are right. I was just trying to keep busy. Besides, I would hate for Fareeha to see my bedroom in such a state."

The corners of Mei's mouth turned upward into a mischievous smile. "Are you planning on inviting her in to see it?"

Angela could only stand there smiling sheepishly, completely incapable of finding the words to deny the assumption. "Well...I was not planning on it, exactly...not that I would be opposed..." She smiled in spite of her embarrassment as she looked down at the dress in her hands.

Mei's eyes went wide. As she was only intending to tease Angela to lighten the mood, she wasn't expecting to have made an accurate guess. She suddenly squealed, causing Angela to jump again. "Sorry, sorry! It's just so exciting!" Angela smiled again, although a little weakly. Sensing her returning doubt, Mei's mind raced for something to say to keep her thoughts positive. "You know, it really sounds as though she's just as nervous about this as you are. I'm having a hard time imagining that she's not feeling just as confused inside as you do."

Angela wrestled with the thought. It seemed to be too good to be true, and she couldn't shake the feeling that she was setting herself up for disappointment. She assumed that her thoughts must have come through in her expression when she heard Mei clear her throat loudly and, when she looked back at the screen, saw that she was being stared at with a stern expression. She couldn't help smiling. Brought out of her unpleasant thoughts, she found herself able to examine the situation objectively. After having done so, she couldn't deny that, as was most often the case, Mei's analysis was flawless.

Seeing the smile slowly returning to Angela's face, Mei pressed on. "That being the case, how about just making sure she knows that you're leaving the door open for her? Let her know she's welcome and leave it up to her to walk through it. That will prove your doubts wrong and show you that she has the same feelings. It seems as if that's what has gotten you this far."

"But...what if she chooses not to?" As much as she had been trying to not consider this possibility today, she couldn't stop herself from asking.

"I suggested it because I'm certain that she will. It will be up to you as much as her, though. If she really is struggling as much as you are, you're going to have to help each other."

"Yes...yes, of course." Angela's smile faded suddenly, and her brow furrowed.

"What is it?"

"I cannot help feeling as though I have forgotten something."

Mei rushed to dispel Angela's newest doubt. "You've called the restaurant, you've made reservations and you even managed to set up that little surprise. Stop worrying! You're ready!" When Angela's look of concentration didn't change, Mei's expression suddenly became very serious. "You are _ready_."

Angela looked up when she heard the change in Mei's tone, and she couldn't help smiling back at her. "As always, you are right. I am simply worrying."

"Of course you are! Please, try to relax and enjoy the evening." Mei looked over her shoulder at a clock on the wall. "Oh, it's almost time! Go, take a moment to calm yourself. You don't want to look as though you're not happy to see her, and she'll be there at any moment now. She's never late."

Angela closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Yes, of course. Thank you, Mei...for everything."

Mei smiled brightly. "Think nothing of it. Now go, and have a good time!" As she was disconnecting from the call, her face suddenly turned unusually angry as she pressed the button for the laboratory's intercom. "Alright, you perverts! Get in here and get back to work! Kuài diǎn!"

Angela laughed, once again thankful for all Mei had done for her. She didn't even want to think where her thoughts may have taken her had she not been able to share them with someone. Coming to terms with the past was of particular concern. She had been holding it in for so long, she hadn't realized how heavily it had been weighing on her. Once she was forced to be honest with herself, she realized that, as much as she wanted this evening, she was afraid of it. She was afraid of the hurt that came with rejection. It was a natural thought, but not a natural reaction. Earlier, Mei spent nearly fifteen minutes trying to calm her down enough to keep her hands from shaking so she could put on her makeup. After she'd finished telling her story, however, it became clear to the both of them that she wasn't holding in any small amount of hurt. The damage done was catastrophic, and the situation was never quite resolved. It made for a hurdle that was difficult for Angela to clear. Difficult, but not impossible, as Mei reminded her. After finally talking about it after all this time, she felt silly and even a little guilty for thinking such things now where Fareeha was concerned. She chose Fareeha because she was different. Even if she had somehow misinterpreted the signals and the interest wasn't mutual, Fareeha would never hurt her. More than that, she wouldn't rest until she made things right. That was her way, and it was one of the things that made her special.

Angela intended to sit for a moment to begin attempting to calm down, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Her mind had shifted from the past to the future, and the evening ahead was replacing her doubt and fear with excitement. She fidgeted nervously and, seeing that she had put away all of the scattered clothing without even realizing it, she started pacing the bedroom floor for something to do. Just as she was about to groan in frustration, the music playing over the suite's speakers changed to a new song. It was then that Angela realized what it was she was trying to remember to do earlier. She ran to the bedside table and picked up one of the suite's tablets, then started feverishly scrolling through the list of songs that had recently played in search of one in particular that she'd heard while she was changing. She had only caught a few words of it, but she was certain that Fareeha would appreciate hearing it. More than that, it seemed appropriate for the both of them. Finally finding the song, she started bouncing in place in her excitement. She finally felt ready, certain that she had done all that she could do. Her thoughts drifted back to her daydream in which she walked out of her bedroom to meet an anxious Fareeha that was waiting for her and a promised surprise. She prepared the song to play, then glanced down at the shimmering crimson polish on her fingernails and remembered her thoughts of taking some small part of that daydream into the evening ahead. _It does not have to be the whole fantasy, after all. We can take this one step at a time._ She forced herself into the armchair and started slowly taking deep breaths. Even if her intent wasn't to seduce, she certainly wanted to impress, and that would be hard enough to do without looking as nervous as she felt. After a moment, she felt the tension starting to drain from her body and her mind starting to clear. She still felt as though her stomach was tied in a knot, but unlike earlier when she found herself deflecting requests to appear elsewhere tonight, the sensation wasn't entirely unpleasant. She looked up at the clock. "Seven twenty four." Fareeha was certainly never late, so Angela was sure that she wouldn't have to wait much longer. She started imagining Fareeha's expression when she saw her, and the knot in her stomach began to loosen.

 _Damn it all. Seven twenty four._

Fareeha sat at the edge of her seat inside of the transport and impatiently checked her watch again, and a small holographic display sprang up from the face as she turned her wrist. The entrance to Angela's hotel was in sight, but their progress had suddenly slowed to a crawl as they approached. Film crews were surrounding the entrance to the hotel, and a number of spectators was slowly approaching them. Many of them were blocking the street as they crossed. Members of the hotel's staff were desperately trying to maintain a buffer area between the growing crowd and the reporters, and others were trying to keep the reporters out of the hotel. A gentleman in a suit was pulling the hotel's doors closed just as a man with a microphone was trying to slip inside unnoticed. Fareeha groaned loudly. It wasn't hard to guess what had happened as she looked out and recognized most of them as the ones that were outside of the bridal salon earlier as she was leaving. As the transport lifted off to head for her hotel, she had seen several of them making their way inside of the salon. Unlike at the hotel now, Stefano was all too happy to allow them in. She ground her teeth as she looked for a clear path and, seeing none, she began lowering her window. She was determined to find a way through, one way or the other. Doubting that she would be able to convince the driver to ram anyone that impeded them, she prepared to take matters into her own hands.

From the front seat, the driver heard the window lowering and, in a panic, hit a switch to override the rear window controls and raised it again. He looked ahead in terror as Fareeha turned her gaze toward him. "A—apologies, madame, but I have strict instructions from Miss Oxton to not allow you to open any windows or doors until we arrive at the front of the hotel."

Fareeha looked incensed as she heard the door lock just as her hand reached the handle. Just as she was about to argue, he cautiously turned and handed her the transport's phone with a trembling hand. A message from Lena was clearly displayed. _Don't let her open the windows or get out until you get to the front doors. At best, she'll make a mess of her hair. Make sure you lock the boot, while you're at it. If there's anything sharp or heavy in there, I can guarantee you it'll be a problem. Try to keep her calm._

"How did she even know?" Fareeha shouted at the phone in frustration as she handed it back to the driver. He was clearly thinking about how to perform the final task in the message, but a glance at Fareeha's expression seemed to make him think better of it and decide that he had done his part.

Fareeha reached out to the topcoat that she'd carried with her out of her hotel room and started to put it on. There wouldn't be a moment to lose when they finally arrived, and having felt the sudden drop in the temperature of the early spring evening, she was certain she would need it. Feeling a lump in the small of her back, she reached behind her and pulled out a small black evening bag that had been tucked away inside of the coat. Inside it was, amongst several small essentials, her phone. Her irritation with Lena instantly vanished when she realized that she'd left without thinking of any of this. Lena must have realized that her mind would be elsewhere by now. Deciding that the best use of her time would be following Lena's instructions and remaining calm, she used the phone to start streaming music to the transport's speakers. Since childhood, she was never good at explaining exactly what she was feeling, but music proved to be an easy way to sort out her thoughts. Now that her mind was a little clearer than it had been a moment earlier, she was remembering the importance of the evening ahead and that any measure of success she may have depended upon her ability to stay focused on the task at hand. She quickly scrolled through the playlists and, finding one that seemed like a close fit for her mood, she scrolled through it until she found a song that seemed as though it would suit her. (1) She pressed play and leaned back into the soft leather, closing her eyes and focusing on the sound. The quiet yet somewhat harsh sound of an electric guitar coupled with a slow drum beat triggered an emotion unexpectedly quickly, and when she heard the words, it became apparent what some small part of her mind was trying to say. Beyond the annoyance with their agonizingly slow pace and the thought of being late, she realized that, for all of her determination, she couldn't quite shake her fear. Coming to terms with her feelings and overcoming them were proving to be two very different things.

"W—we are about to stop, madame."

Fareeha looked up at the sound of the driver's voice and saw that in the short time the song had been playing, hotel employees had seen the transport approaching and had managed to clear a path for it. _Just in time._ She picked up her phone again and stopped the song. No matter how appropriate, it wasn't conducive to establishing a mental state appropriate for what she was about to do. She summoned her determination as the driver came to a stop and quickly stepped out. She inhaled deeply as her door opened and, as she stepped out, she once again put all of her focus into the night ahead of her rather than the past behind her. _It's time to move forward._

The driver escorted her to the front door of the hotel, once again pushing aside reporters and declining to comment on Fareeha's behalf. The job was much simpler than it had been earlier that day, however, as most of the people in the crowd seemed to be at a loss for words. Several stammered prepared questions, and others seemed to be looking to their notes to remember what they'd intended to ask. Most simply stared as the two passed, as though they had completely forgotten why they were there. Though she didn't understand the sudden calm, Fareeha was grateful for the relatively easy passage. The doors opened wide as she approached, and two employees held them open for her as the hotel manager approached. He stared for a moment before seeming to come to his senses.

"Miss Amari, welcome! Please, right this way." He escorted her to the elevators, walking unusually quickly. Fareeha was too grateful to ask why as she glanced at her watch again. _Damn it...seven twenty eight._ A thought suddenly came to mind, and she considered the situation for a moment before realizing that this must also be Lena's doing. She struggled to repress the smile that she felt forming in favor of remaining focused on what was to come. As they reached the elevators, the manager quickly turned and held out a hand, pointing her toward the open doors. No sooner than she had walked inside, the manager said quickly to the elevator operator, "suite level, Samuel. No stops." Fareeha bowed her head slightly in thanks as the door closed, then took a moment to attempt to collect her thoughts. After having worried so much about how long things were taking, things were suddenly moving too quickly for her. The world seemed to be moving past her in a blur. She blinked, and the elevator had stopped and the doors were opening. The operator was saying something to her as she stepped out, but she could barely hear him. She blinked again, and she was standing in front of a wide oak door and staring at a doorbell and an intercom speaker. She looked down at her watch again. Seven thirty. There was no more time for her to prepare herself. She reached out to touch the doorbell without thinking, as though her body was being operated by desire alone. Her earlier words to herself echoed in her mind. _It's time to move forward._

She pressed a fingertip to the button and heard violins playing from the speaker. In the midst of her bewilderment, Fareeha couldn't help smiling at the unmistakable sound of Vivaldi's concerto. _The Four Seasons? This could only be Angela's doing._ Her smile didn't hold long as the seconds passed and she found herself wondering what was taking so long. Her heart hammered progressively harder until the violins faded and she heard a voice that seemed to make it stop completely.

"Y—yes? Fareeha, is that you?" She heard a nervous giggle come through the speaker. "O—of course it is. Please, come in and have a seat. I will be out shortly." Fareeha heard the door's lock click and saw it start to swing open. After swallowing hard and waiting a moment for her heart to catch up to her, she stepped through the doorway into Angela's suite.

She forced herself to restrain a gasp as she walked into the suite. It was larger than her entire home. She stepped carefully across the wooden floor to maintain her balance as she looked around the room in wide-eyed wonder. The room was filled with Victorian furniture, and expensive artwork was hanging on nearly every wall. A plush sofa and set of end tables sat in the center of the living space on a large and ornately decorated area rug. Two matching armchairs were placed near the windows with a small table between them. A coffee table in front of the sofa held a fruit basket, several medical journals and a worn copy of The Velveteen Rabbit. Each window was covered by lace window treatments and framed by satin curtains. In a corner, she saw a tea trolley holding a silver tea set. To one side was an attached kitchen, and on the opposite wall behind the sofa was a door and a fainting couch. Fareeha could only assume the door led to a separate bedroom. The entire room was decorated with shades of beige and gold, creating a stark contrast with the dark wood of the floor, the tables and the trim on the sofa and chairs. Worry started to take root in her mind again as she took off her coat and hung it and her evening bag on a wooden coat rack near the door. Angela always seemed so comfortable when she came to visit her that she never gave the matter any consideration before, but now that she found herself surrounded by opulence, she couldn't help wondering if Angela was just being polite this whole time. Looking around her, it was clear that Angela's tastes were far more refined than she had ever realized. Now that she thought about it, she had never even seen Angela's home before. She had visited Zürich on numerous occasions in the past, but no matter what plans they made, they always ended up falling asleep in Fareeha's hotel room after a long day out. She always believed that it was what Angela wanted, but now that she found herself surrounded by such luxury, Fareeha couldn't help doubting herself. The mere thought that Angela would spend so much money on a suite when she had a home in Zürich was enough to make her uneasy. Just as she was starting to reconsider her decision to follow through with this evening from the beginning to see if she'd made a mistake in her reasoning, she heard a curious sound coming from the suite's speakers that she couldn't place. After a few seconds, she found herself smiling as realization dawned on her. The seemingly random sounds suddenly came together into a song that she knew all too well. (2) She felt as though she had been rescued from her own thoughts as the lyrics jogged her memory of what was most important to her just now. She sighed, frustrated with her own indecisiveness. It simply wasn't like her, and now was no time to pick up the habit. _I have to keep moving forward._ She walked to the sofa and intended to sit down, but suddenly feeling too nervous to sit still, she began slowly pacing the floor. She smiled to herself, suddenly feeling anxious to see Angela again.

In the next room, Angela measured her breathing and counted the seconds. She didn't know how long would be appropriate to build anticipation; although she had long ago lost count of how many times she dreamed of an opportunity like this, she had never considered working out the timing before now. Getting it just right suddenly seemed like a much more daunting task than it did in her daydreams. It had to be long enough to build anticipation, but not so long as to have Fareeha finding herself growing bored. She had thought quickly as she pressed the button on the suite's tablet to unlock and open the front door. Finally settling on the midpoint of the song she had started, she stood in front of the mirror and examined herself one last time while she listened to the song play and waited for her cue. No matter how carefully she examined herself, there was nothing more to do. Not a hair was out of place, and there wasn't as much as a loose thread to be cut. With nothing else to occupy her mind, she walked to the door and waited as calmly as she could manage. Her future was on the other side of the door, nearly close enough to reach out and touch. The waiting was driving her mad. She struggled to remember the details of her plan and wondered how the tables had turned. As she reached out to the tablet to see how much more time was left until her cue, an unusual sound coming from the other side of the door caught her attention. It could only be Fareeha, but she couldn't quite place the source of the sound. It sounded like a light tapping on the hardwood floor, regularly occurring roughly once a second. It sounded like she was pacing. Angela smiled at the thought that her plan was working, but she couldn't imagine trainers or Fareeha's favorite hiking boots making that kind of a sound. Anxiety replaced with curiosity, she put the tablet down and reached out for the door handle as she heard her cue approaching. She turned the doorknob to get her attention and, sure enough, the sound stopped. Smiling and taking a deep breath, she slowly opened the door.

In an instant, Angela's plan unraveled. When she walked through the door, all thoughts were pushed from her mind. All plans to entice lay abandoned in the recesses of her mind as she struggled to process the sight in front of her. She couldn't see, hear or even call to mind anything else. In that moment, there was only Fareeha, the radiant beauty that made all else in the world pale in significance. She struggled to force her eyes to take in the sight properly, but it was like a picture that refused to come into focus. Intoxicated by what she was witnessing, she closed her eyes to clear her mind. _I must be dreaming...or going mad._ When she opened them, the vision had yet to fade away or even change in the slightest. If anything, the effect was more intense, as though some part of her hungered for the sight in its absence.

Fareeha stood in front of Angela, having stopped in mid-stride and turned slightly toward the door. She was covered by a black silk crepe de chine dress that held close to her body and drew the eye to her lean, athletic frame. The tea length dress gave her a modest appearance, but a single slit on one side starting at her thigh gave an enticing glimpse of her long, toned legs. The silk wrapped around her body moved with her, giving only the most subtle suggestion of what lay underneath and causing Angela's imagination to race out of her control. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she recalled the noise that sparked her curiosity earlier when she heard it again as Fareeha turned to face her fully. Her eyes were drawn to the floor and saw simple black mid-heel pumps, the underside decorated with a golden satin finish. Her mind racing to the point of making her feel faint, Angela looked back up the dress, her eyes stopping at the low cut bodice that, to her frustration, was cut just barely high enough to keep her cleavage concealed. The top of the bodice connected to a lace yoke that covered her arms and her shoulders, the neckline sweeping just below her collarbone. A small golden pendant dangled from a golden chain around her neck. The lace pattern was a simple floral design and showed much of the smooth mocha skin underneath. Angela searched for the scars with which she had become so familiar after having treated her injuries so many times, but the pattern of the lace made them all but entirely invisible. She couldn't even find the seams from Fareeha's prosthetics, though she could just barely make out the well-defined muscles in her arms. As her eyes traveled down toward her hands, she saw that they ended in a beautiful manicure, her colorless nails shaped naturally and buffed to a shimmering finish. On one wrist she wore a simple gold watch, and on the other she was wearing a bracelet that appeared to be made of intricately woven golden threads. She looked up to meet Fareeha's gaze only to see that she had turned away, looking embarrassed. The soft shade of red that started to show itself on her cheeks brought Angela's attention to the subtle presence of the makeup she was wearing. It looked so natural, it was all but impossible to notice it without looking at her directly. A nude gloss perfectly matching her skin caught the light and drew the eye to her lips. A dark, smoke-colored eyeshadow increased the intensity of her piercing brown eyes and the effect of her sharp gaze. In the light of the slowly setting sun, flecks of gold in her eyes made themselves apparent against the dark backdrop. Her glossy raven black hair was parted at one side and tucked behind one ear, showing a small golden teardrop earring dangling from it. Her hair cascaded down the sides of her face in flawless sheets and rested on her shoulders.

Some small part of Angela's mind was screaming at her that she was being rude by staring, but she couldn't bring herself to pay it any heed. Everything about what she was seeing pulled her in and refused to let her go. The details were all subtle, and yet their combined effect was bewildering. Fareeha's appearance was equally elegant and alluring. The simple yet flawlessly implemented decorations made for the appearance of an intimidating beauty, powerful and dangerous yet enticing enough to drive one to risk drawing closer in spite of their fear. Everything about her was confirmation of what Angela already knew. In an instant, one could take the most brief glance and see what Angela always saw. Not Pharah or Security Chief Amari, but Fareeha, the strongest and most beautiful woman in the world that could drive one to madness with desire.

"I—I like...your dress."

Angela felt as though she had just been awakened from a dream. It was only the sound of Fareeha's voice that managed to bring her back to her senses, and only just. No matter how many times she blinked or how hard she tried to refocus, nothing seemed to fully wake her. She stepped forward slowly, only barely aware that her body was moving her closer to Fareeha. As she drew closer, Angela could detect a fragrance that she couldn't quite place. She was reminded of Earl Grey tea and what seemed like the most subtle suggestion of jasmine, and at the same time she was certain that she detected the scent of leather and something that made her think of the clean rubber of new tires. For a brief moment between slow steps, her mind was taken back to the first time she'd ever treated Fareeha's wounds in a makeshift infirmary in a garage as she worked tirelessly to repair and upgrade her armor. Just as with everything else she was wearing, the fragrance made even the most subtle aspects of what made Fareeha who she was shine for all to witness. As she came within an arm's length, she reached out to touch her face, as though to convince herself that she was dreaming. As her hand brushed against Fareeha's smooth skin, she could feel it tremble beneath her fingertips. Finally, a thought broke through to Angela's conscious mind. _Is she...nervous?_ Just as she was beginning to wonder if she was making Fareeha uncomfortable, it became apparent that she wasn't pulling away. Quite the contrary, in fact; she had closed her eyes and seemed to be leaning into the palm of Angela's hand. The conversation with Mei about opening the door for Fareeha was brought back to mind, and Angela realized that no measure of fear or past hurt could conveniently explain away what she was seeing and feeling. _She is here because she chose to come. She is willingly welcoming my touch._ No matter how slim it may be, she was certain that she had a chance.

Fareeha's eyes slowly opened, and the world around her gradually came back into focus. Angela stood in front of her, looking into her eyes with her face showing an emotion she couldn't quite place. It was gentle and kind, but at the same time it suggested something that she was surprised to find herself hoping was desire. As Angela withdrew her hand, Fareeha felt her heart ache with want. Her muddled thoughts began to clear, and the events of the moment before came rushing back to her. She could clearly remember the look of astonishment on Angela's face when she saw her. Fareeha wasn't at all accustomed to drawing as much attention to herself as she had today, but this moment felt like something entirely removed from anything that had taken place earlier. It filled her with embarrassment to feel someone focusing on her, but when she found herself occupying Angela's attention, she felt a different kind of embarrassment. She wanted more. Despite how hard she struggled to ignore her thoughts and feelings, she was now incapable of denying that, more than anything, she wanted Angela to see her and nothing else. She wanted to be the center of Angela's world. As she watched Angela still looking at her in an awed silence, she could almost convince herself that she was. The thought was enough to send her mind reeling again. As she slowly became aware of the seconds passing in silence, she attempted to force herself to come back to her senses. She struggled for words, but every time she opened her mouth, the words failed to form. Just as she was becoming frustrated with herself, Angela smiled kindly at her and placed a fingertip to her lips as she shook her head.

"It is alright, love. Do not rush. We have time."

Her frustration was washed away in an instant as Angela reached out to lead her to the sofa. After having been pulled along from one place to another all afternoon, she braced herself for the now familiar sensation of a hand wrapping around her wrist. Her breath caught in her throat when Angela's palm touched her own. It was as though electricity were running through her hand and coursing through her entire body. She felt that she was floating more than walking as she felt slender fingers lacing themselves between her own. She lowered herself onto the sofa, and Angela sat down just next to her, close enough for their hips to touch. Still holding her hand, Angela leaned in, resting her head against Fareeha's lace covered shoulder and resting a free hand on the silk covering her knee.

"This is nice." Fareeha was startled by the sound of her own voice, not entirely certain why she had voiced her thoughts. She wondered if her mind had finally caught up to her command to find something to say to break the silence. Having decided to do her best to ensure that the evening went well through carefully measured actions, she found herself fearing the reaction to the words she never had a chance to consider before saying them.

"Agreed."

Before she could stop herself, Fareeha breathed a sigh of relief. As she inhaled, a sweet scent tickled her nose. She struggled to not shamelessly inhale the way Anaïs had as she breathed in again. It was a fragrance that she instantly recognized. She had long ago bought the same perfume, and kept the bottle hidden away in a drawer in her home to remind herself of the way it smelled when they had spent too much time apart. As heavily as she relied on it, the star-shaped bottle couldn't hope to compare to the scent coming from Angela's skin. A floral fragrance mingled with caramel and chocolate, momentarily sending Fareeha's thoughts back to the vacations they'd spent together during which she hoped more than anything for a moment like this. Before she realized it, her eyes had drifted down to the beauty next to her. She was again as wonderstruck as she had been when the bedroom door first opened.

Angela was dressed in a black charmeuse dress that immediately drew Fareeha's eyes toward it as it caught the light. The shimmering black fabric of the backless triangle-cut bodice and thin shoulder straps revealed flawless ivory skin. The juxtaposition of the colors led Fareeha to focus on Angela's delicate skin, her mind wandering and her imagination speculating as to what lay beneath the fabric. The bodice met a skirt that held close to the body and stretched to just above the knee. As the fabric caught the light, it highlighted the alluring curves of Angela's hips and slender thighs. Simple black high heeled sandals with a single strap across her toes and another around her ankles served to add to Fareeha's growing frustration with seeing only enough material to be deemed absolutely essential. It drove her to want to see more. Angela turned her gaze upward to meet Fareeha's, smiling with and looking into her eyes with a dreamlike expression. Though she wanted to turn away before she could be caught staring, Fareeha couldn't stop herself from trying to take in the sight in front of her. She felt as though she was attempting to remember a wonderful dream, noting details to call to mind later. She looked into Angela's eyes, a brilliant blue set against shimmering taupe eyeshadow. Diamond earrings dangled from her ears, and her golden hair was pulled back into an elaborately wrapped chignon, exposing the nape of her neck. Fareeha marveled at the fact that something so seemingly insignificant could excite her so much now that she was able to see it clearly. In fact, now that she was thinking about it, everything about Angela's appearance seemed to serve no other purpose than to excite her, sparking desire that she wasn't aware that she was capable of experiencing. She often felt such things when she thought about Angela, but a sensation that felt similar to a sense of responsibility always caused her to push the thought aside before it could blossom into anything as intense as what she was feeling now.

As Fareeha reluctantly began to once again deny herself, a thought came to mind that caused her heart to race. _Could she have done this just for me?_ The possibility was presented by a thought too hopeful to be believed, but the more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. The woman she was seeing in front of her was nearly the complete opposite of the Angela she knew, always dressed modestly and covered as much as the weather allowed. In spite of her habits and her wish to not set herself up for disappointment, she could find no other explanation. The thought that Angela might be waiting for her to merely accept what she secretly desired was nearly too much for her to comprehend. Her shimmering crimson lips suddenly dominated Fareeha's attention and, for a brief moment, she could think of nothing outside of pressing her own to them. When she heard Angela's voice, she was violently torn from her train of thought with a jolt, suddenly acutely aware of what she had nearly started to do.

"What is on your mind, love?" Like her expression, Angela's voice suggested that she wasn't completely lucid, but rather partially trapped in a pleasant daze.

"I was just admiring your dress." Fareeha found herself once again voicing her thoughts before she could stop the words, but she was surprised to see that it wasn't quite as distressing as the first time.

"Thank you...and I am sorry that I did not thank you sooner. My mind was elsewhere."

"Don't worry about it, Angela. To be honest, I didn't notice. My thoughts were also pleasantly occupied." Remembering the sensation of Angela's hand caressing her cheek earlier, Fareeha found herself glad for the first time that she couldn't seem to stop herself from speaking despite the warmth she felt spreading across her face. Her conscious mind slowly regaining its strength, she remembered that the point of coming here was to move forward, and being honest with both Angela and herself seemed to be a reasonable place to begin. She was a long way from feeling comfortable with the idea, but no matter how difficult it was, the most important thing to her at the moment was that she was finally taking those first steps.

They sat in silence for a short while, each of them attempting to return to their senses as the minutes passed, marked only by the ending of one song playing over the suite's speakers and the beginning of another. Thinking clearly again, Fareeha felt nervousness beginning to well up inside of her as she began wondering what else the evening may have in store for her. Things were going well, but it wasn't because of any effort on her part. She was no stranger to success, but it only ever came as a result of hard work and planning. There was a small measure of luck to thank, but only on occasion. Trusting her fate entirely to luck was unthinkable, but that seemed to be the nature of her course at the moment. It made her uncomfortable to think that an evening with this much importance was being decided by something no more predictable than the flip of a coin, but no amount of cold, logical analysis did anything to suggest a proper course of action. As she noted the feeling of nervousness building into panic, her thoughts were interrupted by the beginning of another song. (3) A simple but strong bass beat accented by several notes played on a piano took her thoughts to when she first added the song to the list she was preparing to send to Angela. She had been imagining a scene not entirely unlike the one in which she currently found herself, the two of them sitting together for no purpose other than enjoying each other's company. Angela, who had been absentmindedly running a fingertip over the back of Fareeha's hand, noticed the look of concentration and couldn't resist her curiosity.

"A penny for your thoughts, love?"

"It's nothing, really." Fareeha lamented the loss of her ability to effortlessly speak her mind in the wake of her return to attempting to consider her situation logically. Angela gave her best imitation of a scowl and, in spite of her concerns, she found herself laughing as she amended her response. She felt relieved to have been taken away from her thoughts. "I was just thinking of when I chose this song for the list I sent you. I was actually thinking of you when I chose it. I was imagining a setting like this...hoping, really." Though she had come to terms with the importance of being honest with herself, she hadn't intended to add the last couple of words. When she saw the smile she received in return, though, she couldn't quite bring herself to regret it. Angela seemed to be thinking about something and, after a few seconds, she let go of Fareeha's hand and quickly stood and crossed the room before disappearing into the bedroom. Fareeha looked down at her hand and frowned. It suddenly felt cold and empty, and something inside of her felt as if it were withering. Angela returned shortly with the suite's tablet in hand and sat down next to Angela again, rapidly scrolling through the list of songs. Smiling as she stopped, she pressed a fingertip to the screen and placed the tablet in Fareeha's lap before taking her hand again. Fareeha smiled as she felt their palms touch, momentarily overwhelmed by the sensation. It was a strange thought for her, but after the sudden feeling of loss, she felt complete. It wasn't until she heard the song playing over the speakers reach its conclusion and the next one begin that she remembered to wonder why Angela had left. She instantly recognized the song without even looking at the tablet when a guitar began to slowly play, (4) and she looked to Angela in surprise.

"You had a song that made you think of me. Now it is my turn."

Fareeha listened to the lyrics and found herself unable to contain a smile. She couldn't help noting that once again, luck seemed to be guiding her when conscious effort failed her. She hadn't even realized how many of the songs she'd sent to Angela followed this theme before now. Though she still couldn't bring herself to trust the evening to nothing more than good fortune, she was still feeling grateful for how well things were going. She smiled and rested her cheek on the top of Angela's head as she rested her own on Fareeha's shoulder. For the first time, she thought of how much depended on the outcome of the evening without apprehension. Her calm was short-lived, however, coming to a sudden end when she heard a chime interrupt the music. Angela suddenly looked at a small watch on her wrist.

"Eight fifteen. We should head to the restaurant now. Our reservation is for eight thirty."

Fareeha's heart began to pick up its pace when she realized that it was time to take the next step. Angela released her hand to stand, and Fareeha slowly followed. Angela handed her coat and evening bag to her, and then retrieved her own small clutch and a black wool cloak that she wrapped around her shoulders. Fareeha glanced down at her hand and felt the same cold emptiness in her palm, but it didn't trouble her nearly as much as before. _That's the reason I'm moving forward, after all. There will be no need to worry when these moments end if I know that there will always be another._ As they walked out of the suite's door and into the hall toward the elevator, she once again felt as though she was floating as Angela took her arm.


	5. Maritsa

_Author's note: So much for the chapters not taking as long to write. I'm sorry it took so much longer than I anticipated. I've been busy with preparations for the holiday on Monday (and, admittedly, a few ranked Overwatch matches now that I've finally reached level 25), but the writing still took far longer than I expected. On a related note, I'm proving that I've learned absolutely nothing from the last several days about calling my shots and have been considering trying to create a steady routine for uploading. I have quite a bit of free time for the next month or so, and I'm planning on spending the majority of that time writing. As such, I'm going to be aiming for uploading at least twice a week until my daily routine picks up its pace again. My thought at the moment is to try to have regular uploads on Mondays and Saturdays and hopefully one more at some point between the two._

 _I've been thinking about something else that it's long since time that I addressed. I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone that has been reading this story, especially those of you that have been following it and offering feedback and constructive criticism. I started this on a whim, but you've all been making it truly enjoyable and inspiring me to keep working at it. It's also the attention that you've been giving to this story that has been pushing me to work harder to make that one last tweak here and there that will make the end result come out looking a little better than it would've otherwise._

 _Thinking about this, I would like to dedicate this story to three people in particular that made the first chapter possible: Michelle, the first person to take an interest in my creativity and also the first to tell me that I should be writing stories; Steve, who taught me the importance of music and its necessity to the human spirit and has remained adamant about refusing to let me doubt myself long enough to believe that I can't do something; and Dawn, who has spent years showing unwavering faith in my ability to write and has maintained a staunch refusal to hear my contradictory arguments. Without them, this story would likely still be haunting me as I put more energy into finding excuses to not start it than simply sitting down and writing it._

 _Finally, the music for this chapter: I've followed the format from the previous chapter for noting songs, adding numbers in parentheses at the appropriate points in the story and listing the numbers and their corresponding songs below._

 _1\. "Zero Zero" by De-Phazz_

 _2\. "In the Mood" (Purify My Heart Mix by Peshay) by Revelations (featuring Tyrone Henry)_

 _3\. "Destiny" by Zero 7 (featuring Sia Furler and Sophie Barker)_

 _4\. "Fade Into You" by Mazzy Star_

 _5\. "Magic" by Delerium (featuring Julee Cruise)_

Fareeha carefully stepped out of the elevator, remembering for the first time since arriving at Angela's suite to mind her step. As well as things were going, it would be nothing short of a tragedy to find herself landing on the floor now. Worse than the embarrassment, she would likely not be the only one to fall this time. Angela's arm was was tightly wrapped around hers as they made their way from the elevator to a pair of ornately carved oak doors at the end of a long hallway. Near the doors, a large crowd was gathered, apparently waiting to be allowed in. Fareeha, in an attempt to keep her mind focused and not drifting back to the haze in which it had been floating in the suite, began carefully measuring her steps as she took them. Despite the effort she poured into it, it seemed to only make walking more difficult than it had been a moment earlier. She thought back to learning to walk in the salon and admitted that while she still didn't feel comfortable with trusting the evening to anything that wasn't directly under her control, it definitely seemed to be working.

Finally deciding that being lucky was far better than falling and ruining her dress rather than just her knees, she allowed her mind to wander again and found herself curious about the feeling of having Angela on her arm. The feeling of familiarity was comforting, but it also filled her with a sense of pride that she couldn't quite explain. Angela often took her arm when they walked together in recent months. It had quickly become one of the first things to come to mind when she found herself thinking back to the time they spent together. The only difference was that in the past, the gesture always seemed casual and was easily explained by Angela's friendly nature; now, their hands were clasped together while Angela's free hand rested gently on Fareeha's shoulder. It should've weighed her down, but Fareeha felt lighter for it. She was briefly reminded of the feeling of the weight of her armor just before she took flight for the first time. The science behind her suit's thrusters was easy enough to understand, but she was lost for an explanation for what she was feeling now. As she thought more about it, though, she couldn't bring herself to feel uncomfortable with the thought if it meant that a moment like this could continue. _I must be losing my mind...but insanity is surprisingly pleasant._

As they approached the doors, two members of the waitstaff came out to politely part the crowd and create enough space for Fareeha and Angela to walk through it. As soon as people were asked to step aside, they immediately turned to look behind them. In a matter of seconds, several dozen pairs of eyes were on them. Fareeha immediately became tense. Temporarily lost in thought, she hadn't realized that everyone there was as impeccably dressed as she was. As she looked around her, she was certain that she was seeing more than her annual salary in clothing alone. Though she hadn't thought about it since meeting with Angela, her concerns that she would be the only one out of place in this formal setting began to resurface. They were relatively subdued and seemed tranquil compared to the crowds of spectators and reporters that she had forced her way past earlier in the day, but the excitement in their expressions was unmistakable. It was easy enough to guess what was coming, and unlike earlier in the day, it seemed impossible to politely excuse herself from answering questions from curious bystanders in such a formal setting; as in the bridal salon, she was entirely out of her element. Several cameramen scattered throughout the crowd quickly made themselves apparent, giving themselves away with flashes of light as several others approached the front of the crowd, microphones in hand. As questions began flying from all sources in unison, the members of the waitstaff parting the crowd began politely declining their requests for interviews on Fareeha's behalf. She felt a gentle tug on her arm as Angela's pace began to increase. Too grateful to question her good fortune, she quickly matched Angela's stride and proceeded through the doors. As they drew near, Fareeha noticed the sound of a vaguely familiar song playing from speakers embedded in the ceiling. (1) It was a calm and relaxed sound, but it seemed a slightly odd choice for what seemed to be an upscale establishment. Still, she certainly appreciated some sense of familiarity in these formal surroundings that were already beginning to feel stifling. She found herself slightly more calm as they quickly passed through the doors, not stopping until they arrived at a podium in a small waiting area being manned by a smiling maître d' in a finely cut suit. Fareeha couldn't help being uneasy. Throughout the day, people in suits had inspired thoughts ranging from gratitude to contemplating physical violence, so she had no idea where to begin guessing at what could be expected of this one.

"Doctor Ziegler! It is always good to see you." His eyes paused on Fareeha, giving her the impression that he was somehow surprised to see her. "And welcome, Miss Amari. It is an honor to have you join us this evening. Your table has been prepared; please, follow me when you are ready."

Though Fareeha was grateful that he had done nothing to irritate her, she didn't feel any more comfortable after meeting him. It was more formality than she was used to seeing, but the experience was something entirely removed from her time spent in the bridal salon. After some effort, she was able to convince herself that everything happening in the salon was just practice. This, on the other hand, was the reason that she had been practicing. There was no way to dismiss the importance of a flawless performance here. As if to drive the point home, two cloakroom attendants approached and offered to take their coats. More than simply being nervous, Fareeha also felt ridiculous for feeling this way. Even as she spent the afternoon preparing, she never would've guessed that she might find herself wondering if she was somehow taking off her coat the wrong way. As she shrugged off her topcoat, she looked around at several incredulous stares from patrons in the waiting area who nervously looked away once they realized that they had drawn her attention. It took the full measure of her discipline to not glare at them as she wondered where she had made her mistake. She looked to Angela, who was clearly amused by something as she gracefully removed her cloak and handed it to the attendant. She once again took Fareeha's arm, which Fareeha took as her cue to follow the maître d'.

They were led through another set of doors and into an large, open area. In a desperate attempt to not look any more out of place, Fareeha resisted the urge to look too surprised by where she was, although she couldn't resist the occasional stolen glance as they crossed the restaurant. It was larger than any that she had ever seen. From what she could see, the entire top floor of the hotel had been set aside for the restaurant alone. Cream colored walls and an only slightly darker wooden floor brightened the room as much as the lighting and gave it an open and airy feeling. One of the only points of contrast was the deep mahogany of the tables and chairs spread throughout the room. The chairs were topped with cushions perfectly matching the color of the walls, and the tables were topped with matching tablecloths trimmed in gold. Dinnerware was meticulously placed on the tables and paired with linen napkins closely matching the color of the wooden chairs. Round booths upholstered with cream colored leather lined the far walls that were made entirely of glass, giving a breathtaking view of the city below. In the center of it all, bartenders mixed cocktails at an oval shaped bar made of the same dark wood as the chairs and tables. Every chair seemed to be filled and heads and cameras turned in their direction as Angela and Fareeha walked past them. Fareeha was anxious to be as far from them as possible, and was surprised to see that Angela seemed to be enjoying the attention. Though she normally avoided the spotlight, something about tonight seemed to have changed her mind about it. She smiled and gave polite waves to many of the people when she passed as the maître d' escorted the two of them through the crowded restaurant floor and toward a door on one of the glass walls. They passed through to an outdoor area filled with more tables that wrapped around the entire restaurant. Each of the outdoor tables was illuminated by flickering candles placed on them. Near each table was what Fareeha immediately recognized as small apricot trees with small floodlights in their planters, pointing up and illuminating the branches. No leaves could be seen, but each tree was filled with the pink and white petals of newly sprouted flowers. Occasionally, a breeze would blow and scatter petals and send them dancing through the air. As they were seated, Fareeha found herself unable to resist glancing down at the view of the city below them. The sun had nearly set, and the darkness of the city below was dotted with golden light from the streetlamps and windows of homes stretching all the way to the mountains on the horizon. She was reminded of the ecstasy of flying through the air and looking down at the world beneath her and, for the first time, she found herself feeling peaceful in these unfamiliar surroundings.

"Fareeha? Is something wrong, love?"

Fareeha was startled to realize that, in the time she had spent looking out at the city, the maître d' had already left them. Finding herself suddenly alone with Angela instilled her with a new kind of nervousness that she assumed came through in her expression when Angela smiled at her kindly.

"N—no, nothing is wrong. I was just taking in the view. It reminds me of flying."

Angela jumped slightly and seemed to be trying to contain herself. After a curious expression from Fareeha, Angela turned away while still smiling. "I was...hoping you might think that. I first started coming here because it reminded me of flying through the sky with you."

It was Fareeha's turn to nervously look away. As much as she hoped that she might find her way into Angela's thoughts on occasion, she had never considered the possibility that it may have actually happened. Her mind scrambled for something to say to break the silence, but her thoughts were interrupted by a question as she looked up and saw Angela's phone in her hand, a finger briefly pressed to the screen before quickly putting it back into her clutch.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything is fine. I am simply ensuring that it stays that way."

Before Fareeha could ask for more of an explanation, Angela put a finger to her lips and looked over her shoulder at a thin speaker standing near one of the apricot trees. It wasn't until that moment that Fareeha remembered the song she heard as they were walking in. Just as she started trying to remember where she'd heard it, the song faded out as it reached its end and another started to play. (2) This one was much easier to place as she had spent more than one night listening to it as she fell asleep while thinking of Angela. Her eyes went wide as she looked back and forth between the speaker and Angela, who tried and failed to suppress a giggle.

"I spoke with the owner. He agreed to do me a special favor this evening."

"What exactly did he do?"

"He has given me control of the restaurant's speaker system while we are here. I wanted to play some of the songs you sent me. The list was focused around one in particular."

"Which one?"

"You will see." Angela smiled, but she didn't seem to have anything more to say about it.

Fareeha's mind was reeling. It was impossible for her to guess how much trouble it must have caused to arrange all of this, and the thought that it was all for her benefit made her feel a strange combination of embarrassment and guilt. She struggled for the words to thank Angela for what she had done, but the words wouldn't come. Angela looked down at the linen napkin in front of her with a gentle smile, occasionally glancing up with an expression that seemed to be holding an expectation. It wasn't until that moment that Fareeha realized that she was being unnaturally quiet. This normally didn't bother Angela, who usually didn't hesitate to fill silences and nearly always seemed to have some idea of what Fareeha was thinking before asking. Now, however, Fareeha couldn't help noticing a strange distance that had grown between the two of them since they had taken their seats. This had been one of Fareeha's fears since the first time she noticed her mind drifting toward thoughts of sharing a moment like this with Angela. All of her hopes were hinged upon this moment, a moment she had been hoping against hope that she would experience, but for some reason her every action seemed to be working against her. She didn't have the words to express her frustration with herself, and it was only the formal setting that was keeping the obscenities welling up inside her at bay.

"You seem...frustrated."

 _Goddamn it._ The only thing that could have made Fareeha's situation worse was letting her thoughts show on her face. "No, I'm fine."

Angela smirked smugly as she raised an eyebrow. It wasn't often for her to have such an expression, but Fareeha knew it well. She only ever saw it when she was well and truly caught. It was always a clear indication that there was no use continuing to hide what she was thinking. Desperate for a turn for the better, Fareeha once again placed her fate in the hands of good fortune and spoke her thoughts.

"I suppose I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. This is all new to me. I thought I'd prepared for it, but I seem to be going about it all the wrong way."

Angela's expression turned to one of concern. "What gave you that idea?"

"This isn't something I've ever done before. I'm not accustomed to such formal settings."

"I mean, what makes you say that you're going about it the wrong way?"

"Well, when I took off my coat earlier..." Her voice trailed off as she forced the memory of so many curious stares out of her mind. It was the first time since seeing Angela that she felt any of her fears about the evening confirmed, and worse was the fact that it came just after what seemed to have been a perfect start. Lost in her disheartened state, she was surprised to hear Angela giggle.

"Well, I admit that it is not something that I have ever seen anyone do here before."

Fareeha put her concerns aside in favor of finally getting an answer to the question that had been wearing away at her curiosity since they had arrived. "What do you mean? What did I do?"

"It was just the way you went about it. You threw your coat off of your shoulders the same way you take off your armor at the end of a mission."

As she thought about it, Fareeha admitted to herself that it wasn't the refined behavior of the people around her, and it most certainly wasn't Angela's graceful motion from when she removed her cloak. "I had a feeling I'd done something wrong."

Angela's expression suddenly turned serious. "Nonsense. It is what I expect of you, so it is comforting to see. To be honest, it is a relief. As much as I appreciate the effort you have made for the sake of this evening, it would not be worth the experience if I thought that you would change."

In just those few words, Fareeha felt as though a burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Somehow, Angela seemed to always know what to say to make things right. It wasn't quite that easy to simply find herself at ease in such a setting, but it still made all of the difference in the world. Just as she was about to force herself to finally say something to show her gratitude, Angela once again pulled out her phone and looked up with an excited expression.

"I suppose it is actually your turn to have a song that reminds you of me. I hope you will forgive me for taking it."

Fareeha listened intently to the end of the song, suddenly excited to hear what Angela might have associated with her. Now that it was apparent that she indeed had a special place in Angela's mind, she burned with curiosity as to what thoughts came along with it. Her eyes once again went wide and she felt warmth beginning to spread throughout her face as she heard a relaxed beat gradually take the place of the previous song. (3) She called the lyrics to mind in an instant and found herself looking down in a fruitless attempt to hide her surprise. To think that Angela would associate such words with her seemed like too much to hope for.

"I'm sorry...I'm just surprised. That you would hear something like that and think of me, I mean."

Angela smiled shyly, but seemed determined to not look away. "It is how I have thought of you for some time now, Fareeha. I only regret not knowing about such a song before today." Fareeha looked up in surprise. Angela continued, answering the question she assumed was coming next. "I started listening to the music you sent me while I was getting ready. I was fortunate enough to hear it before you arrived."

After thinking for a moment, Fareeha's curiosity was piqued and she abandoned her attempt to casually ask how long "some time" had been. "How did you create a playlist so quickly? All of the songs I've heard so far seem to go well together."

Angela smiled and looked away, showing her usual embarrassment in the face of an unexpected compliment. "It was nothing, really. I merely analyzed the songs you sent me for any with similarities to this one that indicated a common genre. To be honest, this is the only one in the list that I have heard before now."

Fareeha refused to allow her to dismiss the effort as a simple gesture of kindness. The words to express her gratitude quickly came to her as though they had been there all along. "You say that as if it were a simple task, but it's quite impressive. Thank you, Angela. You've made the evening perfect."

Angela continued to look away, not quite ready to give up her attempt to deny having put forth any special effort. "I am glad that you are feeling more comfortable, but perhaps we should have stayed in my suite. We did not speak much there, but...I did not mind that. Perhaps we should stay in and cook next time?"

 _Next time?_ It was hard to imagine that she had already done whatever might be required of her to ensure that there would in fact be a next time, but Fareeha couldn't help being relieved that, if nothing else, she seemed to have not ruined her chances.

Feeling uneasy when faced with the long silence, Angela gave a nervous laugh and also fell silent, seeming to need a moment to collect herself. As she appeared to struggle for words, two waiters approached with a bottle and a pair of glasses. The waiter with the glasses placed one each in front of Angela and Fareeha and then politely excused himself. The waiter with the bottle held it over his arm, showing the label to Angela.

"The Blauburgunder you requested, Doctor. An excellent choice."

Fareeha attempted to read the label, but couldn't find anything written there that suggested to her what might be inside of it. As Angela nodded, the waiter produced a wine key from an apron pocket and, after cutting through the foil on the neck, produced a white cloth that he ran around the neck of the bottle. He drove the corkscrew into the top of the bottle and quietly removed the cork with a practiced hand before placing it on the table next to Angela. He waited as Angela pressed a fingertip to the cork before giving him another short nod, then slowly poured a small amount of the burgundy wine into the glass in front of her, giving the bottle a twist as he lifted it away. Again he waited as Angela gently twirled the glass, watching it intently before waving the mouth of the glass beneath her nose. She tasted it and placed it back on the table before smiling at the waiter and giving a final single nod. He appeared to be relieved as he continued pouring wine into the glass and then moving on to Fareeha's. Placing the bottle on the table, he assured them that their first course would be out shortly before leaving them. It wasn't until he left that Angela noticed a look of concentration on Fareeha's face. She had been watching the interaction with the waiter, carefully studying their every action. It all seemed to have significance, but Fareeha was at a loss for an explanation for any of it. Growing uncomfortable with the silence, Angela decided to hazard a guess at her thoughts.

"Forgive me, but I took the liberty of ordering for us."

Fareeha smiled and shook her head as she picked up the glass. She couldn't resist breathing a sigh of relief as she was reminded of another of her concerns about the evening. "I should be thanking you. To be honest, I was a little worried about this." She tasted the wine, which she was surprised to find was dry and had a strong flavor but had a bouquet that made her think of raspberries. Once the surprise passed, she was pleased by its relative simplicity after having her thoughts filled with everything she had ever heard about wine tasting, which was largely hearing people mention searching for complexities and a list of terms she didn't have the patience to try to make sense of. "Again, you've made the evening perfect."

Angela, once again somewhat embarrassed by an unexpected display of gratitude, accepted the compliment as graciously as she could under the circumstances, though she wouldn't meet Fareeha's gaze as she turned progressively deeper shades of red. "You are welcome, Fareeha. I am glad it agrees with you. I was hoping it might make you a bit more comfortable. I know that you do not normally take part in elaborate formalities, but this seemed to be a perfect place to bring you." Before she continued, she briefly glanced down at the lights of the city, shining as brightly as the stars coming into view above them. "I am quite surprised to see that you went through so much trouble for the evening. I am honored. I know how much you detest such things."

A thought occurred to Fareeha that made her feel a chill run through her. She had only agreed to being treated like a mannequin, falling flat on her face, being painted like a fence and having hair forcibly ripped off of her all afternoon because she knew how much Angela appreciated such things. Despite this, it hadn't occurred to her before that moment that Angela would naturally be curious about how her current appearance had come into being. Desperate to turn the conversation in any direction that didn't involve recounting the events of her afternoon, she found herself noticing the song that had started playing at some point while their wine was being poured. (4)

"Hmm...I suppose this song could count as one that makes me think of you."

Fareeha repressed the urge to cringe as she spoke with honesty she never intended. While the song did make her think of Angela, it was a fear rather than a pleasant thought. Simultaneously worrying about Angela's reaction and the inevitable questions that would follow as well as cursing herself for forgetting to take the song out of the list she'd sent, she was almost relieved when Angela's expression made it clear that she wasn't about to be deterred from her curiosity so easily. She listened politely for a moment, but she wasted little time on being curious about the meaning of the words.

"You know, I cannot help wondering...how did you manage to look so stunning tonight? I never thought you took any such interest in these things."

"I don't, honestly. I learned more today than I have in the last month. I only managed it with help." The thought brought to mind a question that had been on Fareeha's mind earlier that day. Better still, it would hopefully divert attention away from herself. "By the way, do you know someone named Anaïs?"

"Anaïs? I only know one. She is a consultant in a bridal salon."

"That would be her. She seemed to know you."

"She is a good friend. She has helped me find the right dress for many occasions. How did you meet her?"

 _Shit._ Fareeha thought for a moment, then made another attempt to bring the focus of the conversation back to Anaïs. "She helped me find this dress. She seems to know quite a bit about this sort of thing. I never would have found it without her help."

Angela's eyes lit up as she was reminded of her curiosity about Fareeha's appearance. "Yes, she is quite knowledgeable when it comes to formal wear, and it seems that there is nothing she cannot find once it is deemed necessary. She can be quite tenacious in her search for perfection, however. I have to wonder how you managed to endure it. Do tell me, how was your experience?"

 _Shit, shit, shit._ "It was...interesting." Seeing Angela's excitement, Fareeha realized that she had merely added fuel to the fire. Unable to find a way out of saying more, she sighed and finally relented. "I spent the entire time there being poked, prodded, sprayed, swabbed and measured...and then I had to learn how to walk again. I had no idea what to expect before I walked in. Someone spent billions developing a suit of flying combat armor and all I had to go through was the last two steps."

Angela laughed so hard that the table shook as she held onto it for support. "I—I am sorry, love, but you must admit that it must have been a sight worth seeing!"

As much as she wanted to be irritated, Fareeha couldn't contain a laugh of her own. "Well, if Lena is any indication, it was. If I had to guess, I'd say she's still somewhere laughing at me right now. I'm surprised she didn't try to record the whole thing."

Still, laughing, Angela raised her eyebrows. "Lena?"

Fareeha was curious about the reaction until she realized that the sound of her calling Lena by her given name was admittedly unusual. "It seemed appropriate to not be quite so impersonal with her after all that she did for me today. I owe all of this to her more than anyone else. She arranged everything for me. If not for her, I would have likely turned up wearing jeans and trainers."

"It was what I was expecting, honestly. I only dressed up like this because I thought...that you would like it." Angela's laughter only subsided when it was replaced with slight embarrassment, though a shy smile remained. Fareeha's heart fluttered when her question regarding Angela's appearance was finally answered, though another thought came to mind as she realized that she had also received the answer to another of her questions.

"So that's why he looked at me like that."

"Who?"

"The one that seated us. When we came in, he looked at me for a moment as if he was expecting to see someone else."

"Oh, that? I suppose he was as surprised to first see you as I was...nearly." Angela smiled shyly, but she continued speaking as if ignoring her embarrassment over adding the final word. "When I made the reservations, I requested one other small favor from the owner. I asked that he make an exception and relax the dress code slightly for tonight. I wanted to ensure that you would be comfortable."

Appreciation welled up inside of Fareeha again. It was impossible for her to not appreciate all of the thought that had gone into making the evening perfect, and she started to feel guilty for having been so uneasy as they first arrived. "You really are amazing. I'm sorry that I was so uneasy when we came here after everything you've done to prevent it."

"Think nothing of it, love. I only did it because I knew that you would feel that way. It must have been a terrible ordeal for you to do so much to accomodate me tonight."

Fareeha raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? I've never done anything this special for you."

"I have a beautiful date in front of me and a velveteen rabbit downstairs that suggest otherwise."

Fareeha thought for a moment before remembering the rabbit she had sent to Angela so long ago. It was admittedly difficult to make the arrangements, but she never thought of it as work. She was far more worried about potentially making Angela uncomfortable somehow by sending her a gift. "Well...that was different. It was—"

"Exactly the same." Angela did her best impression of a stern glare. It wasn't at all believable, but Fareeha knew just the same that it meant that there was no arguing the point with her and decided to simply accept her gratitude in silence.

In the brief moment of quiet, waiters arrived with the first course, plates of what Fareeha instantly recognized as souvlaki. After having gone to a Mediterranean restaurant with Angela in the past, she found herself intently studying Greek cuisine in an attempt to learn more about what she had enjoyed so much. As the waiters excused themselves, she was slightly embarrassed to realize that she had been so nervous that she never once thought to ask what kind of a restaurant this was. The moments passed in silence as Angela smiled while watching Fareeha savor the taste of the marinated lamb. It took several minutes for Fareeha to realize that Angela's own plate had barely been touched, but when she did, she looked up at Angela with a curious expression.

"I am just happy to see you enjoying yourself." Angela began eating again, though she seemed to have trouble keeping her attention away from Fareeha for long.

"I am, thank you. I don't think I've had anything like this since you took me to that Greek restaurant in New York." Fareeha began eating again, and several minutes later finished only to see Angela still watching her. She was smiling with a dreamlike expression that reminded her of their meeting earlier in her suite. Suddenly aware that she was staring, Angela laughed at herself, though she refused to look away.

"I am sorry to stare. I am just enjoying looking at you more than I usually do."

"Y—you are? Why?" Nervousness over potential responses prompted Fareeha to inquire about the reason she was drawing so much attention rather than how much Angela normally enjoyed looking at her.

"You are looking absolutely gorgeous tonight, of course...even more beautiful than usual. At the moment, I am noticing how well your makeup suits you. Did you do it yourself?"

Fareeha couldn't help laughing at the idea that she might have any idea what had been done to her face, much less how to replicate the results. "No, this was the beauticians' work. Lena hired them."

Angela couldn't help smiling at Fareeha's use of Lena's name again. "It is about time you gave up on trying to hate her."

Fareeha didn't bother to try to stop herself from smiling along with Angela. "She isn't so bad, I suppose."

"Not at all, no. She is a good girl." Once again refusing to be sidetracked, Angela continued asking about Fareeha's beauticians. "So, how was it? With the beauticians, I mean."

Fareeha frowned slightly as she recalled the experience. "It was...an ordeal, honestly. Anaïs is the only one to throw more questions at me that I couldn't hope to answer. All sorts of things about color palettes and something about finding my undertone."

Angela glanced down at Fareeha's hands. "Well, I suppose they could not simply look at your wrist, after all."

Fareeha groaned loudly. "Not you, too."

Angela laughed heartily, once again comforted by the thought that Fareeha hadn't changed in the slightest. It made her appreciate all that had been endured on her behalf even more. "You certainly spared no effort, even if it was only enduring the process."

Fareeha couldn't help appreciating her suffering now that she knew it had the intended effect. "I'm relieved to know that you're happy with it. It's good to know that it was worth it. I've been wondering if the way people have been looking at me has been a good or bad sign."

Angela raised an eyebrow. "You speak as though you have not looked at yourself." After noting a look of concentration, she found herself realizing that this sounded exactly like something Fareeha might do. "You... _have_ looked at yourself this evening, have you not?"

For a brief moment, Fareeha thought of the lacy bra and backless panties under her dress and repressed a shudder. "I tried not to." After seeing Angela's look of shock, she quickly added, "it was hard enough just coming by it all, and I was already nervous. I thought it best to not dwell on the end result as long as everyone else was confident in it."

Angela gave an exasperated sigh, though she couldn't resist smiling at one more thing that set Fareeha apart from everyone else she knew. "Well, at least you will not have to ask these questions again now that you have been through the process once." She immediately regretted her words when a look of horror slowly formed on Fareeha's face and she realized that it must have never occurred to her to take notes. "D—do not worry, love. I am certain Tracer remembers it all. She has an excellent memory for these things."

Hearing Angela attempt to dismiss her concern, Fareeha forced herself to put the thought out of her mind in the interest of not causing undue concern. This was made easier by the arrival of the main course. Fareeha could smell the grilled lamb chops before she noticed the waiters approaching. As they placed the plates on the table and again excused themselves, Angela noticed the curiosity in Fareeha's expression and, suddenly feeling self-conscious, attempted to answer the question she assumed Fareeha was thinking.

"Perhaps I should not have ordered so much of the same thing. I was just thinking about how much you love lamb."

Fareeha smiled and shook her head. "You're right, I do love it. It's perfect. Actually, I was thinking about the waiters. They have unusually good timing."

Angela forced herself to not breathe a sigh of relief. "They are just giving us special treatment. I've noticed the same thing, myself. They seem to be waiting for us to finish speaking before they approach us." Noting Fareeha's confusion, she continued her explanation. "They are being exceptionally polite, not that it is far from what they offer anyone else. The only thing better than the service here is the food. To think that a place such as this would only receive two stars...preposterous."

To Fareeha's surprise, Angela looked genuinely upset about this. _So this is what it takes to get her angry._ Fareeha couldn't help smiling, too busy enjoying learning something new about Angela to remember to ask about the significance of the stars.

"What is it, love?"

"I was just thinking that it isn't often that I see you angry about something. Now that I think about it, though, this does seem to fit what I know about you."

Fareeha couldn't keep herself from smiling, but she decided to not press the issue. Angela seemed to embarrass easily around her, and she would certainly stop talking if it went too far. Sure enough, Angela had turned her gaze toward the city below, her cheeks once again taking on a delicate red tint. Hearing her speak at length about something was one of the things that Fareeha looked forward to the most whenever they spent time together. Though she was often careful to not do so, there were several topics that would get Angela talking in spite of herself, her favorite places being one of them. Thinking about this, Fareeha decided to start asking questions about the restaurant just to hear her speak more. The minutes passed in a blissful haze as Angela spoke of the history of the restaurant and her favorite things about the design. Though many of the details of what she was hearing were lost on her, Fareeha cherished the opportunity to hear Angela speak of anything. As she always did, she focused on the sound of her voice to attempt to recall the details later. The way the pitch of her voice changed when she was excitedly explaining her favorite things about contemporary designs or the way that she laughed when Fareeha reluctantly admitted to not understanding what she'd just heard were the kinds of memories that Fareeha would call to mind nearly every night as she drifted off to sleep. She found herself growing excited when it occurred to her that she might not have to worry about not being able hear these things again. She couldn't hope to guess at how well things were going outside of thinking to herself that the evening seemed to be progressing smoothly for the most part. Still, she couldn't help hoping that this meant that so far, it was a success. Without warning, panic suddenly replaced her serene thoughts as she realized that when her mind drifted, she had missed part of the conversation.

"...which is why it is always so warm in here. I love it. It always feels like summer."

Fareeha's mind raced to find a way to get herself back up to speed without letting on that her attention had been elsewhere. " _In_ here? Aren't we outside?"

"Well yes, technically, but the barrier keeps us largely sheltered from the elements so I always think of it as being inside."

Suddenly wondering what was keeping out the chill of the early spring night, Fareeha reached out and was surprised to find herself touching a nearly invisible barrier surrounding the outdoor dining area. Her fingertips pressed against a hard surface, and a soft blue light rippled beneath them and spread in all directions.

"It goes up five meters, just high enough to keep the worst of the wind out and trap enough heat to maintain a comfortable ambient temperature. I cannot say that I like thinking of how much energy is being burned to keep the heaters running, though. Still, the barrier is quite impressive. It wraps around the entire top of the building in bad weather."

Her interest piqued, Fareeha knocked firmly against the barrier. It showed no signs of yielding. "I wonder how strong it is." She turned back to Angela in confusion as she heard a soft giggle.

"It is intended to keep the wind out and prevent anyone from accidentally falling over the edge. I would not put any faith in its capability to resist a blow beyond that." Angela smiled sweetly at the look of confusion on Fareeha's face as she gave another soft laugh and reached into her clutch for her phone. "I am sorry. It is just very much like you to see something like this and consider its potential combat applications. It is simply another thing that reminds me that you have not changed."

Though she was happy that she had somehow managed to make Angela smile, Fareeha couldn't help feeling some embarrassment when she found herself the center of attention and quickly searched for a way to change the subject. "Are you playing another song?"

Inexplicably, Angela suddenly looked very shy as she prodded the screen of her phone. "Yes, but I was also thinking of calling for the check. I was hoping we could go elsewhere for dessert...if you do not mind continuing the evening, of course."

Unable to find the words to agree, Fareeha simply shook her head as the song playing in the background came to an end. As it faded out, she found herself again feeling excited as a peaceful melody reached her ears. (5) She didn't have to wait for the words to guess at why Angela had chosen it. As much as she doubted herself and as painful as it was to think that she was somehow misinterpreting Angela's intentions this evening, she was having a hard time continuing to deny what was taking place. Thoughts of dessert struggled to find room in her thoughts as she only considered them long enough to see dessert as a means of continuing with the date. For the first time, Fareeha was more excited for than afraid of what may come.


	6. Anjou

_Author's note: I'm quite excited to both bring you this chapter and get started on the next, so I'll keep it short this time. I only regret that it took so long to get it published; I fully intended to have this all done nearly twelve hours ago. I'm determined to stick to my new schedule, though, so please look forward to seeing the next chapter on Monday. The songs have been listed below as in the last couple of chapters._

 _1\. "Where Does This Ocean Go?" by Yoko Kanno (vocals by Ilaria Graziano)_

 _2\. "Sunrise Comes Too Soon" by Late Night Alumni_

 _3\. "Headlock" by Imogen Heap_

 _4\. "Kids Love It" (unofficial title) by DJ Clarknova, the final track from the unreleased Toonami album Black Hole Megamix_

 _5\. "Could Well Be In" by The Streets_

Fareeha found herself amused by how quickly she was becoming accustomed to feeling inexplicably lighter as Angela once again took her arm. Her hand shook slightly in anticipation, refusing to be still until Angela's found it. As their fingers once again laced together, she was amused to feel herself give a sigh of relief and realize that she had been holding her breath as she waited. _How does one person become so important so quickly?_ The thought was terrifying, but she forced that fear to the back of her mind as quickly as it had surfaced in her thoughts. Instead, she considered how long Angela had been important to her as they made their way across Maritsa's interior and headed for the front doors. There was nothing new about her desire to be this close to Angela. _More like a need_ , she thought as she pondered the true depth of her feelings rather than only the parts that she'd been unable to deny. In the wake of everything that had happened since she met with Angela in her suite and while anxiously awaiting everything that may come later that night, she couldn't bring herself to ignore her true feelings. More than that, she had already decided that being honest with both herself and Angela was absolutely essential to the successful outcome that she was working toward.

As they reached the front of the restaurant, they were met by the maître d' and two cloakroom attendants holding their coats. Angela released Fareeha's hand to take her coat, and Fareeha again felt the sharp jolt of pain that left her feeling empty in her absence. For a moment, her mind was taken back to the countless times that she felt something similar when they parted ways after a vacation or mission. It hurt her more than any bullet or plasma burn ever did, but it was never as intense a pain as it was now. The closer they came, the harder it was to part. Again, the thought haunted her and began bringing fear to the surface of her thoughts. It wasn't until she felt Angela nudging her in the side that she realized that she was missing something important.

"Miss Amari...is everything alright?"

Fareeha was startled to find that the maître d' was watching her intently with a look of concern. She attempted to blink her confusion away, but taking in her surroundings only raised new questions. Her mind raced to find the appropriate words to respond to him while also trying to deduce why he looked so worried as well as remember when she'd put on her topcoat.

"Y—yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry...I was just lost in thought." Though he didn't appear to be entirely convinced, she was relieved when he didn't inquire further.

"Yes, well thank you both very much for joining us tonight. We are in your debt."

Seeing Fareeha's apparent confusion, Angela stepped in to respond in her place. "Think nothing of it. You have made this evening absolutely perfect. I assure you, we are quite even."

Unable to think of anything to add to the conversation, Fareeha simply nodded politely and turned to follow Angela as she said her goodbyes and turned toward the front door. Fareeha tried to force her mind to catch up to the present, but gave up on it when she heard the song playing over the restaurant's speakers end and another begin with a simple and calm sound with which she was quite familiar. (1) She had often played it at sunset in anticipation of the evening ahead, which couldn't have been more appropriate at the moment even though the sun had long since dropped below the city's skyline. She put her concerns aside as the song reminded her to continue moving forward, but it wasn't until Angela once again took her hand that they seemed to be flushed from her mind entirely. _It doesn't matter. I'll just keep taking this one step at a time._

It wasn't until they arrived at the front doors of the hotel that it occurred to Fareeha to wonder where Angela was leading her. As they entered the lobby, several hotel employees were smiling apologetically and giving the front doors sideways glances. Already having a good idea of what she would see, she looked through them to see that the crowd she made her way through on the way in several hours earlier was still largely there and hoping to get a glimpse of the pair on their way back out. Several more hotel employees stood just outside of the doors, attempting to keep people orderly when the sudden appearance of Angela on Fareeha's arm caused an immediate uproar. Rather than feeling irritated this time, she found herself instead feeling uncharacteristically timid. Though she had dealt with the thought of being famous all day long, there was always something more pressing to deal with that made it easy to shrug off the thought; her nervousness over having to deal with the festival that morning, then the stress of preparing for her date in the afternoon. She almost regretted forcing herself to turn her thoughts away from her fears when the realization hit that people had been waiting outside in the cold for hours just to hope to see them walk by. Remembering how throughout the day she had done all she could to push past them without actually knocking anyone over, she started feeling guilty about having snubbed them all day long. Outside, Angela's driver waited outside of a transport and, seeing the two of them walking through the lobby, immediately walked down the path to the hotel doors and prepare himself to deflect requests for interviews and autographs. Fareeha was grateful that the drivers they had been assigned took their jobs seriously. Even without the rest of her date to look forward to, no measure of remorse was enough to make her want to stand there answering questions and publicly signing autographs.

Two of the hotel employees each took a door handle in hand. One turned around and asked, "Miss Amari? Doctor Ziegler? Are you ready?"

Angela smiled, though her expression looked as though she had resigned herself to her fate. Fareeha merely sighed. "As ready as I'm likely to be. Let's do this quickly."

He turned and nodded to the driver, then the two employees opened the doors wide. The noise that flooded into the hotel lobby was deafening. It took a seemingly endless minute for the driver to walk Fareeha and Angela to the transport while holding out an arm to keep people back as an employee on their opposite side did the same. Determined to follow through with her decision, Fareeha occasionally looked up and nodded or waved politely when she heard her name shouted in the distance. It was a simple gesture, but she still felt drained by it when she collapsed onto the back seat of the transport after allowing Angela to climb in before her. A moment later, the driver made his way into the front seat, looking thoroughly harassed but pleased to have the ordeal behind him.

"Where to, madame?"

"Anjou." Angela took a moment to think before adding, "take the long way, please." When Fareeha turned to her with a confused expression, she added, "they stay open all night long. There is no reason to hurry."

When Fareeha's expression failed to change, Angela realized that she must have instead been curious about why she was in no hurry to get there. Despite this, Angela didn't seem to have anything more to say about the matter. She moved closer to Fareeha and took her hand again as she rested her head on her lace-wrapped shoulder and rested a hand on her knee. Just as on the sofa in Angela's suite, the two of them seemed to be in their own world, oblivious to even the passing of time with only the music to mark the minutes. It wasn't until the songs changed that Fareeha noticed that the music that was playing seemed to be part of the same playlist that Angela had chosen for the restaurant. (2) She smiled as she thought of the work that it must have taken to arrange the evening. As the new song started, her peacefully drifting mind slowly recalled the words and, realizing how appropriate they were, placed a hand on Angela's and gently stroked the back of it with her fingertip. When Angela looked up at her, she tilted her head toward the speakers behind them.

"If I'm not mistaken, it's my turn to choose a song."

She spared no effort in keeping herself from laughing at Angela's excitement as she furrowed her brow and concentrated on separating the words from the sound of the guitar. As the chorus began, she gasped and looked to Fareeha as though she was seeking confirmation. Unable to find the words, Fareeha only looked down at her lap and smiled. That seemed to be enough. She leaned her head against Fareeha's shoulder again and gently squeezed her hand.

"It does not have to end with sunrise...if you wish for this to continue, that is." Angela spoke just barely above a whisper and didn't seem to be able to bring herself to look up again.

Fareeha was once again lost for words. For fear of spilling her every last innermost thought, she simply rested her cheek on the top of Angela's head and spoke as simply as she could manage while trying to restrain the emotions flooding her thoughts. "I do wish it."

After several minutes, the transport finally began to move. Angela looked outside and noticed that there were hotel employees in the street, still trying to politely move people out of the way of the transport. She had nearly forgotten the crowd outside until she noticed camera flashes going off. She thought for a moment that they seemed unusually bright and realized that they must have been hoping to get a clear shot of the back seat through the tinted glass. She found herself regretting not having noticed earlier. Now that the transport was in motion and the cameras were well out of range, it was too late to lower the window and ensure that they took perfect photographs. She would have normally restrained herself for Fareeha's sake, but given how she was waving to people just a few minutes earlier, it seemed possible that she might not mind. Thinking about that moment, it dawned on her that the behavior was quite unusual. She put her thoughts aside for a moment to satisfy her curiosity.

"That was surprising."

"What was?" Fareeha lifted her cheek from the top of Angela's head in confusion, seeming as though she had just been pulled away from a daydream.

"That you were being so friendly to the people outside, I mean. Earlier, you seemed to want nothing to do with them."

Fareeha looked as though the mere mention of it fatigued her. "I still don't. I felt bad about it, though. I hadn't thought about it before, but it must be a terrible feeling to wait that long to see someone only to have them completely ignore you."

"You were feeling guilty?" Angela stared at her incredulously before noticing that Fareeha indeed looked ashamed of herself and added, "well, that was very nice of you."

"I was just thinking that I understand why you were being so nice to the people inside the restaurant."

It seemed to be Angela's turn to be confused. "What do you mean?"

"You were smiling and waving to people while we were walking to our table."

It also seemed to be Angela's turn to look as though she felt guilty. She started to speak, but paused for a few seconds as she worked up the courage to give her confession. "To be entirely honest, that was not for their sake. I was not thinking about being polite."

"What were you thinking about?"

Angela paused for another moment, an expression on her face that gave Fareeha the impression that she was about to deflect the question. "Did you not see how they were looking at you?"

In spite of her efforts to stay focused, she found her thoughts momentarily derailed in favor of curiosity. "I assumed that they were looking at you."

Angela smiled in a way that made Fareeha's heart skip a beat. "Actually, I am quite certain that they were looking at _you_."

It was confusing to her, but Angela seemed sincere so Fareeha considered the possibility. "No, I didn't notice anything."

"They were likely thinking the same thing that I was thinking."

 _Damn._ Reminded of her original question, Fareeha silently cursed herself for allowing herself to be distracted, although she could never retain any significant amount of anger where Angela was concerned. "So what _were_ you thinking?"

"N—nothing, really." In her desperation to avoid voicing her thoughts, Angela said the first thing that came to mind. A nervous glance up at an anxiously waiting Fareeha out of the corner of her eye made it clear that her attempt was for naught. "Well..."

"Oh, come now...tell me!" Fareeha burned with curiosity and anticipation, and even embarrassment couldn't bring Angela to disappoint her.

"I was thinking, 'she is mine. You cannot have her.' "

Fareeha was again lost for words. Light from a street lamp briefly highlighted Angela's face, and the delicate shimmer of crimson lipstick dominated Fareeha's attention once again. It took restraint that bordered on being painful to tear her thoughts away from pressing her own to it. Unable to contain herself entirely, she gently kissed the top of Angela's head before resting her cheek on it again. Angela found herself unable to breathe as she sat there, surrounded by Fareeha's warmth. She felt her face burn so fiercely that she was almost certain that she must be glowing. Words came to mind, but they seemed to be caught in her chest along with her breath. For a brief moment, she found herself trying to force them out, but it was as if she was pushing against a brick wall. _I have been running, but the past seems determined to keep pace with me._ Just as she was starting to feel despair forcing its way to the front of her emotions, her conversation with Mei came to mind without warning. _She was certain this would go well, and it could not be going better. The rest is up to us. We will have to help each other._ She reached to her side and pulled her phone from her clutch, then opened the entire list of songs that she received earlier that day.

"What...what song would you play if there was something you wanted to say to someone but could not do so? Something you have been working toward saying but could not when the moment came?" She placed the phone on Fareeha's lap with a trembling hand. _We have to help each other. Please...help me, Fareeha._

Fareeha picked up the phone with a sudden sense that something had gone awry. She scrolled through the list absentmindedly for a moment as she considered everything that had happened and what she may have done wrong, desperately examining everything but the kiss that she'd just given to the top of Angela's head. Her heart seemed to fall silent and a chill ran through her body as she finally admitted to herself that there could be nothing else that would have caused the sudden change in the atmosphere. She suddenly felt alone and unarmed in hostile territory and in fear for her life. _No...I have felt that before. This is far worse._ Just as she was about to give in and begin apologizing for upsetting her, she again felt gentle pressure on the hand that Angela was holding. When she felt Angela's other palm on the back of her hand, she found herself hoping against hope that she was somehow wrong. Her mind continued to race as she scrolled through the list of files without taking in anything she was seeing. _If she is not angry, then perhaps..._ Her heart still feeling as though it may tear itself apart at any moment, a desperate hope came to mind: It may be that Angela wanted to say something that she wanted to hear. Even if it was something unexpected, anything would be better than even the smallest amount of regret from either of them. Remembering her earlier determination to continue moving forward and unable to summon enough logic to make sense of the situation, she suddenly felt reckless and blindly charged ahead, willingly resting her fate on good fortune once again. She scrolled through the files one more time and, finding the first song that came to mind, quickly pressed her thumb to the play button with far more force than necessary, thoroughly committed to following through with her thought before she could change her mind. The motion caught Angela's attention for a moment, but it was quickly diverted to the song playing over the speakers when she heard a soft voice begin singing. (3) Fareeha held her breath as she waited for some indication of a reaction, but Angela didn't appear to notice and took her time taking in the words. As the chorus played, her eyes lit up with recognition. Fareeha couldn't begin to guess at exactly what the reaction meant, but it at least didn't appear to be negative.

"Does this help?"

Angela looked up at Fareeha and smiled. "It is perfect, love. Thank you."

Though patience was clearly the wisest course of action, Fareeha couldn't resist asking. "What was it that you wanted to say?"

Angela looked up and smiled, looking somehow relieved. "I will tell you, I am certain. Please be patient with me until then."

Fareeha did her best to not look disappointed. When she thought about it, it was actually a great relief. Though her curiosity was eating away at her, at least she was reasonably certain that she hadn't done anything wrong. As she was breathing a sigh of relief, she felt a light pressure on her jaw near the corner of her mouth that made her entire body go tense. As she took in a sharp breath, she looked for its source and saw Angela, her eyes closed and pulling pouted crimson lips away from her face. She slowly opened her eyes and looked to Fareeha for a response, but her inquisitive gaze was met with only a look of shock.

"That was for being understanding...and to make us even." She tried to sound playful to hide the doubt that was steadily building as Fareeha's face turned a deep burgundy. As the seconds passed and she remained silent, Angela began working out an acceptable apology. "I...I am sorry, Fareeha. Did I...did I go too far?"

Fareeha remained dumbstruck. Her mind slowly lurched into gear at the sound of the apology and the recognition that she was giving Angela the wrong idea. Frustrated with herself for not being able to think clearly, she gave up on waiting for the words to come to her and took Angela's hand from her knee. Before it could be asked what she was doing, she pressed it to her heart. Angela stared blankly at her hand as she felt the rapid heartbeat beneath her fingertips. Confusion slowly gave way to understanding as she lost count of the beats, causing her to look up at Fareeha's face which had turned away in embarrassment. Angela had only intended to show her appreciation and, hopefully, create an opportunity to dispense with a little more of the pretense that had built up between them over the course of their friendship. Angela found herself fighting an urge to cry as she tried and failed to find the appropriate words. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself. _One step at a time. She has already said that she wants this to continue. There is time to get it right._ Feeling slightly more peaceful, an idea struck her that may do the same for Fareeha.

"I was only making a simple gesture of gratitude, but if you enjoyed it that much..."

Angela turned her face upward and kissed Fareeha's cheek, this time placing it so that the corners of their mouths just barely brushed against each other. She pulled away, unable to keep herself from smiling at the look of shock still firmly in place on Fareeha's face. A moment later, she was laughing so hard that her entire body shook as Fareeha, smiling in spite of her frustration with herself, was apparently having trouble remembering how to breathe.

"Are... _are you trying to kill me?_ "

Angela took a moment to wipe a tear away from her eye as she tried to rein in her laughter. "Well, I am not trying to, although it is strangely flattering to think that I could have such an impact on you."

It was certainly not the reaction that she was expecting, but the atmosphere was most decidedly lighter so Angela considered her mission to have been accomplished. She opened her eyes again and the first thing she noticed was the glow of the screen on her phone. She reached out and picked it up, then held it in front of her for Fareeha to take back.

"You are better at this than I am. What song would you play on a peaceful yet special late night out on the town?"

Fareeha took the phone in her hand and stared at it blankly for a few seconds as she tried to collect herself. Finally feeling a little more calm, she scrolled quickly through the list before finding a file and setting it to play, then put the phone back in her lap. "Here...I think this will do. There are no words, but it doesn't need them."

Angela let herself sink into both the soft leather seat and Fareeha's shoulder as she took in the sound of the music. (4) As a slow and peaceful melody began, she found herself imagining Fareeha out on a late night out, excited to arrive at a special place. The slow melody began building in intensity, but it somehow managed to do so without increasing its tempo. Just as with the song she chose as Fareeha's ringtone, Angela felt that it was just like her; a calm surface with something intense and passionate hidden just beneath it. The more that she thought about it, the easier it was to imagine it as a song that suited someone that was excited to be on their way to someplace special. They rode the rest of the way in silence, taking in the music and anxiously awaiting their arrival.

Several songs later, the transport came to a stop on what appeared to be a nearly deserted street lined with four story buildings. Surprised to see that they seemed to have arrived in what felt like a matter of seconds, Fareeha looked around her, curious about where they were. Nearly every building on the street had only a few windows on the upper floors that were illuminated. They were all clearly very old but also very well kept, giving the impression that they were in a historical district of the city. The transport had stopped in front of a building that looked much like the others, but seemed to still have people active on the ground floor. Two large, red awnings hung over either side of a glass door illuminated by gaslight lamps on each side. Each of the awnings sheltered several sets of wrought iron tables and chairs. The front of the ground floor had large windows that stretched across the front of the building, and inside several people could be seen sitting at tables and talking. She just barely made out the word "Anjou" painted on the glass door in an elegant script. Finally satisfied that she was aware of her surroundings, Fareeha attempted to chide herself for once again having forgotten the world around her, but she just couldn't manage to work up her usual anger at her own mistakes. All she could think about was the frantic beating of her heart that had finally begun to calm itself and the corner of her mouth that was still tingling as though anticipating more. The rear door opened as the driver reached it and, as she climbed out and waited for Angela to follow her, she decided that she didn't care about punishing herself anymore. She could think clearly of Angela and nothing else. _This is for the best, really. I'm moving forward...no,_ we're _moving forward._

As they passed through the front door, they found themselves inside of a cafe that seemed much smaller on the inside that the building outside suggested. The lighting seemed slightly dim, largely being absorbed by the dark shades of the rosewood walls and floorboards. Dark wood tables with lightly colored wooden tabletops were scattered throughout the restaurant, each surrounded by chairs that almost perfectly matched the floor beneath them. The tables were tightly packed into the small space, leaving only enough room between them for a single person to walk by. Booths lined the windowed front wall with small pendant lamps hanging from the ceiling over each of the tabletops. On the opposite wall stood a counter matching the lightly colored wood of the tables that held what appeared to be an antique cash register. Just next to it was a large glass display case that was sparsely populated with desserts. It all made the restaurant feel small, but also warm and inviting. Behind the display case, a large, black chalkboard took up much of the wall and was filled with text that Fareeha struggled to read. She recognized several words that referred to food items, but most of them appeared to be German in origin and were entirely foreign to her. As she gave up on trying to make sense of the chalkboard outside of deciding that it was likely a menu, she looked around to see that the restaurant was nearly empty. The few people working or eating had all stopped what they were doing and were staring intently in her direction. Some appeared to be awestruck while others seemed to be trying to make sense of what they were seeing, forcing their eyes to focus properly or blinking hard as if to clear their vision.

"This way, love."

Angela smiled and waved to people as she took Fareeha's hand and led her to a booth in the corner, far removed from anyone else in the cafe. Fareeha found herself grateful that Angela had the presence of mind to take action as she stood there and attempted to find what seemed out of place in the small cafe. As they sat down on the soft vinyl benches on opposite sides of the booth, it finally occurred to Fareeha that everyone else was dressed rather casually. Out of the corner of her eye, she could make out enough of the cafe behind her to see that it felt as much like someone's home as it did a business. It made sense that it was intended to provide an experience that emphasized comfort, and she decided that it was likely why Angela thought enough of the place to choose it. It wasn't the first time that day that Fareeha found herself feeling out of place, but now it was for an entirely different reason.

"Angela? Aren't we a little...overdressed?"

Angela smiled at the suggestion. "Perhaps, but I doubt that is why they are staring, if that is what you are thinking."

It didn't take long for Fareeha to understand what she meant. The thought of becoming accustomed to being famous was uncomfortable to her. No matter how hard she tried, even though she was slowly coming to expect the reactions she got from people when she was in public, she couldn't get used to the idea of being any kind of a celebrity. She shuddered as the thought of Raptora armor in any color other than blue once again surfaced in her thoughts. The reaction immediately caught Angela's attention.

"What is wrong, Fareeha?"

"Noth—" Fareeha stopped as she saw that Angela's eyebrow had already started to rise and her slightly mischievous smirk was already taking shape. Fareeha couldn't help smiling at the thought that Angela knew her so well. It was another thought that she wasn't entirely comfortable with yet, but unlike when she thought about her fame, she found herself liking the idea. She sighed and reluctantly recounted her brief and unsettling thought from earlier in the day of Hana Song's pink mech and soft blue body suit covered with company logos and the disturbing possibility that something similar could potentially be a part of her own future. As expected, Angela laughed loudly at the mere thought of it. As embarrassing as it was, it was comforting to find that she found the idea to be laughable. As Angela composed herself, she glanced around at the small number of customers in the restaurant and pulled out her phone.

"I should give the driver advance warning. Things are peaceful now, but that may not last."

Fareeha frowned as Angela placed the call. She was already growing attached to the thought of continuing a peaceful moment with Angela. It was only her nervousness and her infatuation with Angela in the restaurant earlier that kept her from being constantly irritated by all of the eyes that were on them the entire time. As Angela ended her call, she saw the frown on Fareeha's face. It didn't take her long to find an explanation for it.

"This is the life of a celebrity, I am afraid. Sometimes I think that life on the battlefield is less stressful."

"I can assure you that it is." Refusing to risk spoiling the evening any further by sulking, she quickly pressed on in an attempt to keep the conversation going. "At least things are calm for now."

"That is true. More than that, we will not be here as long as we were in Maritsa. Hopefully we will be gone before the crowds catch up to us."

This brought a question to Fareeha's mind. "Why were so many people there, anyway? I would think that they wouldn't be that busy on a Sunday night."

"It is quite a popular restaurant, but it is unusual for them to be quite so crowded at all. It was certainly strange for a Sunday. It is also unusual for people to be dressed quite so formally. A blazer is required for entry, but it is still a relatively casual place. To be honest, I expected that we would stand out quite a bit more that we did. I can only assume that someone discovered our plans. You would be surprised how quickly word spreads."

"No...not really." Fareeha suddenly felt a pang of guilt as she remembered Stefano in the bridal salon. Seeing Angela's curious expression, she didn't bother trying to hide her thoughts and began apologetically recounting her conversation with Lena about her experience in the salon and how it was a sort of business arrangement. Angela, who had been expecting something far more serious after seeing Fareeha's expression, laughed brightly when she remembered that Fareeha had never experienced such a thing.

"Well, she is right. It really is a business arrangement. It does not surprise me that he would be quite so eager to discuss details with the public if they were willing to listen. The attention is his share of the profit from the arrangement, after all."

Just as Fareeha was about to level an insult at him in spite of this, an employee wearing a simple uniform and apron approached the booth. "Welcome back, Doctor Ziegler! And... _Pharah_?" He had turned to Fareeha to greet her and frozen in place. It took him a moment of processing what he was seeing to realize that he was staring. A faint red tint making itself apparent on his face, he cleared his throat and turned his eyes toward the tabletop. "Please do excuse me. I was...surprised."

Remembering her earlier resolve to be more understanding, she immediately waved away the apology. "Don't worry about it. I admit that it's understandable. That seems to be happening quite a bit tonight."

"Yes...I...what can I get for the two of you?"

Thinking of the incomprehensible writing on the chalkboard behind the display case, Fareeha turned to Angela as she found herself at a complete loss. Angela seemed prepared and spoke up quickly.

"Café liégeois for each of us, please."

The waiter nodded and, after giving Fareeha a final quick glance, turned and left for the kitchen behind the counter. As he walked away, she turned back to Fareeha. "I think you will like it. It is a shame that we could not try the pear clafoutis, but it is best when fresh and they will not begin baking again for a few more hours."

Though she only understood the word "pear" in the name, Fareeha couldn't help being curious. "Is it that good? What is it?"

"Imagine a combination of pie and flan. It is usually made with cherries, but pears are the specialty here. My understanding is that the restaurant is named after them."

"Pears? I thought Anjou would be a place." Having immediately associated Maritsa with the river of the same name, Fareeha had heard the name and simply assumed that the cafe would be named for a location in France.

"Not exactly, no. The name of the pear comes from a place, but the cafe gets its name from the pears that they use in so many of the recipes here." Just as in Maritsa, Angela spoke for several minutes of the history of the cafe and all of the things that drew her to it. As Fareeha suspected, it was largely the comfortable and relaxed atmosphere that had drawn her in. From the way she spoke of the decor, it seemed that any thoughts of the food there were only secondary at best. As she spoke, Angela noticed a sweet smile spreading across Fareeha's face and was unable to resist being curious about what caused it.

"What is it, love?"

Fareeha was embarrassed to realize that her thoughts must have been coming through in her expression, but she refused to pass up an opportunity to bring herself slightly closer to Angela. "I was enjoying hearing you talk about this place. You also spoke at length about Maritsa when we were there."

"You never do pass up an opportunity to learn something new, do you?"

"To be honest, I just enjoy hearing you talk."

She looked as though she was about to say more, but she was interrupted by an excited looking woman that had nervously approached the booth. Fareeha's eyes were immediately drawn to her hands, holding a pen and what appeared to be a magazine about recent scientific discoveries with Angela's picture on the cover. She paused and waited politely as the woman asked for Angela's autograph, but found herself startled when her own was requested next. She signed her name quickly next to Angela's and was grateful when the woman quickly thanked them and left, bouncing as much as walking as she pulled out her phone and placed a call on her way outside. Though the experience was as upsetting as the interruption, Fareeha was grateful that it at least didn't last long.

Though she had no desire to antagonize, Angela couldn't resist laughing at Fareeha's exasperated expression. Much like when the waiter left earlier and she was free to stop actively attempting to be friendly, she looked exhausted. "Is it that bad, love?"

"It is, although I couldn't tell you why."

"I could hazard a guess. It is something new and it will take time to adjust." Angela suddenly looked shy and, at the same time, determined. "I suppose we are both in that position now."

"Yes, I suppose we—" Fareeha stopped immediately as she realized that she had missed the true meaning of Angela's statement. It was somewhat startling to see the wall of pretense that normally stood between them suddenly crumbling so rapidly. _No, not crumbling. It's being torn down._ Despite her practice, she was unable to deny that Angela was creating an opportunity to move forward. Fear and doubt attempted to make themselves known in her thoughts, but she forcefully shoved them aside in her determination to not allow the opening to go to waste. "I believe that it's your turn to have a song that reminds you of me, but if you don't mind..." She held out her hand to Angela across the table.

Angela, seeing that the offer to continue pressing forward with the evening had been well received, quickly reached into her clutch and pulled out her phone before handing it to Fareeha. After several seconds of scrolling, she pressed a finger to the screen and placed it on the tabletop. (5) The phone's speaker began playing a simple beat accented by several repeating notes played on a piano as Fareeha looked away, smiling and doing her best to ignore the warm tingling in her cheeks. Angela rested her chin on her palm, looking rather peaceful as she took in the words that weaved a story that largely paralleled their own evening. As the song ended, she looked up at Fareeha, who was still looking away and nervously awaiting a reaction. It was difficult for her to find the right words to express what she was truly thinking. She was elated as she considered that her efforts seemed to be paying off. She had done as Mei suggested and opened the door. However slowly and cautiously, Fareeha was making her way through it. The thought that her dreams were becoming reality was overwhelming. _We have to help each other, and it is my turn to assist._ Unable to find the words to express her thoughts, she smiled shyly as she settled on a few that would at least keep them moving forward.

"You know, I believe that you may very well be in."

Fareeha looked up in surprise. Though she couldn't deny how well the evening was going, it was still beyond her means to get her hopes up. As she raced to find an appropriate response, she was distracted by a flash of light in the distance. She turned to it, instantly infuriated by the distraction from the moment. A young couple sat at a table across the restaurant, looking frantic as they stared at a phone and apparently tried to determine what had gone wrong. A man looked in Fareeha's direction, smiling apologetically before turning his eyes away. Obscenities were already rushing from her mind to her mouth. It was only a soft giggle from Angela that managed to stem the flow. Fareeha turned away from the couple and looked down at the tabletop, torn between her recent decision to be nicer to fans and her irritation with having their moment interrupted. Just as she was considering how to get the moment back on track, the waiter arrived with their order. All of her thoughts were lost as she considered the dessert in front of her. Having no idea what café liégeois might be, she had given up on attempting to imagine what may be coming as soon as she heard the name. She stared at the glass in front of her, filled with what appeared to be several kinds of ice cream in colors varying from white to different shades of brown, all carefully placed inside of the glass and topped with small brown flecks and what looked like a biscuit curl. She imagined the taste of chocolate until the unmistakable scent of coffee reached her nose.

"Is anything wrong, love?" Angela curiously studied Fareeha's expression, trying to imagine what she might be thinking as she examined the dessert in front of her.

"I already feel guilty for making a mess of it." Fareeha took a final look at the glass as she picked up the spoon next to it, deciding that the dessert almost looked too elaborate and meticulously designed to ruin by eating it.

Angela smiled sweetly as she picked up her own spoon. "I have thought it several times this evening, but I am pleased to see that you are still my Fareeha."

The two of them ate in silence for a few moments. As in Maritsa earlier, Angela seemed to be enjoying watching Fareeha eat more than eating herself. While Fareeha still wasn't accustomed to being the center of attention, it was a pleasant feeling where Angela was concerned. As she neared the bottom of the glass, Angela spoke as though she had been anxiously awaiting an opportunity to say something.

"How are you enjoying the evening so far?"

Fareeha thought for a moment as she stared at the ice cream at the bottom of the glass. "If I find the words for it, I'll be sure to tell you. I'll have to ask you to forgive me as 'very much' seems to be the best I can do at the moment."

Angela breathed a sigh of relief before continuing. "I was thinking something similar. Given that we seem to be of a similar mind, perhaps you will also agree that it should not end just yet."

When Fareeha lifted her head to meet Angela's gaze, she was already shyly looking down at her own glass. "Well...yes...I do agree." Unable to think of anything more appropriate to say to accurately convey her excitement and nervousness, she settled for going back to looking down at the nearly emptied glass in front of her.

As Angela took in the words that she wanted so much to hear, she suddenly realized that despite being in agreement on the matter, both of them seemed to be utterly terrified about the prospect. She abandoned her glass and stood, then walked to Fareeha's side of their booth and sat next to her. Without thinking, Fareeha reached for her hand. An agonizingly long second passed before Angela took it in her own and spoke again.

"This...this is not easy, is it?"

Surprised by the question, Fareeha found herself answering with unfiltered honesty. "It isn't. To tell the truth, though, the past is a more trying obstacle than the present."

Angela looked up, lost between disbelief and confusion. "For you, as well?"

Fareeha nodded, but didn't elaborate further. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin the moment by bringing up the past, no matter how relevant. The only thing keeping her from regretting mentioning it at all was the revelation that she apparently wasn't alone in this. As she wrestled with what to say next, she noticed that her hand was trembling. _No...that isn't my hand. It's Angela's._

Without warning, Angela looked into Fareeha's eyes with determination. "Perhaps it would help to discuss the matter further. We could...go back to my suite and speak in private."

It was only for a moment that Fareeha found herself considering the potential implications of such an invitation. The thought of speaking openly about her innermost fears pushed all else aside. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before responding, taking the time to remember that no matter how difficult it was, she had to keep moving forward. "Yes...I think that would be a good idea."

Angela felt relieved, but also quite nervous. She'd had the opportunity to speak with Mei about the matter briefly, but it felt like a dress rehearsal when compared to the thought of having the same conversation now, with Fareeha and at length. Still, she refused to back away from the opportunity that she had been awarded after having come so far. As she thought about the matter, she again thought of what Mei had said to her earlier and remembered that Fareeha was likely as afraid as she was. _That is right...we are going to have to help each other._ Thinking of this, the words seemed to come from her mouth of their own free will.

"You are not the type to restrain yourself when something needs to be done. Perhaps it would be better to simply proceed as you normally do?"

Fareeha could only blink as she found herself once again caught unaware. It was clear that Angela was trying to encourage her. More than that, Fareeha couldn't deny that she was right. Waiting for someone else to act first simply wasn't her way. As she thought about it, she realized that pretense didn't suit her, either. "Yes...I think that would be best. It is admittedly difficult, but I think you are right. It would help to get the job done." Thinking of shedding pretense brought another thought to mind. While she was still a long way from being free of it entirely, she suddenly found the strength to push herself one more step. "I believe it is important if we...if we are to continue moving forward."

Angela was entirely overwhelmed by the sudden declaration that upset the balance of emotions inside her. Hope and desire now outweighed fear by a considerable margin. Remembering her thought a moment earlier that they would have to help each other gave way to realizing that it was her turn to make a clear declaration of her intent. Only one thought took a defined form in her mind as she let go of Fareeha's hand and delicately placed it on her cheek. _Please...open the door for me, Fareeha._ She slowly leaned in and, seeing no resistance to her movement, threw caution and conscious thought to the wind and brought her lips to meet Fareeha's. Precariously balanced between tenderness and a growing hunger, they each lost all memory of any fear of what may come as apprehension and pretense gave way to clearly defined intent. Fear certainly persisted in each of them, but the flavors of coffee and ice cream that mingled with that of lipstick had washed away all doubt.


	7. Nightcap

_Author's note: I'm finding myself in an unusual position as I write this chapter. I originally intended for this all to take place in a single chapter, but the events about to take place all feel significant enough to warrant being contained in their own chapters despite being a bit shorter than usual. While I'd given up on the idea of creating short side stories between significant events, I think that the significance of the next few chapters warrants it. Instead of trying to force it all into a single upload, I'm going to try again to release several shorter parts throughout the week and then resume writing longer chapters starting with the next regular update. I'm still not certain how the writing will go considering that I'm veering away from what I was starting to think of as a regular pattern and this new direction may require some fine tuning, but as of right now I'm planning on posting the next short chapter on Wednesday morning and another on Thursday morning, then returning to regular updates on Saturday morning. As before, the songs referenced are noted with numbers in parentheses at the appropriate points and their corresponding numbers and songs are listed below._

 _1\. "Dream of Flying" by Mark Adams Allison_

 _2\. "Twenty Past Four" by Noble Oak_

 _3\. "Call Me" by Tricky with DJ Muggs and Grease_

Fareeha was doing her best to sit still on the rear seat of the transport as the driver entered through the front door. Her mind was a muddled mess, but she didn't feel at all bothered by it. Checking her watch for something to do with the nervous energy building inside of her, she saw that it was well after eleven. She was amazed by how much time had passed since she had arrived at Angela's suite, but she wasn't altogether surprised by it. She had long since lost interest in how much time was passing, instead choosing to remain focused on how she was spending it. Just as in combat, her only thoughts of time seemed to come when she was checking to make certain that she was using it efficiently. As long as she was making the best possible use of her time, the mission would either be completed or was impossible to begin with. She felt as though her every thought that night was focused on ensuring that she remained on task, leading to the moment she was now anxiously awaiting. Things were moving forward. With the chances that her plans would somehow be derailed diminishing with every passing minute, she could no longer avoid thinking about the fact that everything she hoped and dreamed for was about to begin. Only one conversation stood in her way. Her fears were slowly regaining their strength, but the final remnants of any temptation to turn back were left behind in the booth where Angela kissed her. Her mind drifted back to that moment, and she offered no resistance. The taste of Angela's shimmering lipstick and the coffee flavored ice cream on her tongue dominated all of her senses and, for the first time in her life that she could remember, she willingly submitted.

"Where to, madame?"

Fareeha slowly brought the world around her into focus as her thoughts were interrupted. Seeing her bemused expression, Angela smiled and spoke up in her place. "To my hotel, please. Stop for nothing."

Fareeha returned to her senses just in time to see the corners of the driver's mouth turning upward as the transport took off with a quick start. Somewhere in the back of her mind, the thought to be angry about his apparent assumptions began to take shape. It dissipated as soon as she felt a gentle pressure on her cheek as Angela kissed it. She briefly wondered if the effect was intentional, but she quickly decided that she didn't care and instead chose to direct her thoughts toward returning the favor.

Angela gave a soft giggle, but immediately after her eyes opened wide. "Oh...that reminds me!"

Fareeha watched her curiously as she opened her clutch and produced a small handkerchief. "What is that for?"

"Modesty." Angela wrapped the handkerchief around a fingertip and wiped the spot she had kissed a moment earlier. It wasn't until she pulled it away, now with a faint red smudge on it, that Fareeha realized what must have happened. The thought of walking around with someone else's lipstick on her cheek was embarrassing, but she somehow also missed it now that it was gone. She assumed that this must have must have come through in her expression when Angela smiled as she moved on to rubbing away the traces of crimson smeared on her lips. "Do not worry, love. If you insist, I can always put it back later."

Suddenly feeling a need for something to keep her mind distracted from the flood of heat rushing to her face, Fareeha watched Angela hold her phone in front of herself and, turning on one of its cameras, use it as a mirror. She slowly pressed her lips together and then carefully touched the handkerchief to the edges of them. Looking unsatisfied, she reached into her clutch again and pulled out a small black tube and began applying more lipstick. Fareeha watched in complete confusion, thinking back to when Angela and the waiters in Maritsa seemed to be taking part in some traditional ritual just before the wine was served. For a moment, she thought of her own lips and wondered if she should be doing something about them. She was certain that she had seen several small golden containers of varying sizes in her evening bag earlier when she first pulled out her phone. She was sure that one of them must have held more of the gloss that she was wearing, but a glance out of the window at surroundings that she was almost sure that she recognized suggested that she would only have less than five minutes to use it. She certainly wasn't about to ask Angela for help with it and, even if there had been time, the thought of experimenting in front of her was only marginally less humiliating. As Angela started putting things back into her clutch, she settled for simply pressing her lips together lightly and deciding that if Angela didn't feel the need to say anything else about her appearance, it was surely good enough for her.

With everything put away except for her phone, Angela smiled as she took Fareeha's hand and placed the phone in it. "While it is my turn, I have long since run out of songs that I recognize. I will entrust the task to you from here. What would be appropriate for—" She paused and, after a moment of consideration, decided to ask a different question. "What are you feeling?"

Fareeha was surprised by how quickly a song occurred to her. Fearful thoughts still echoed in her mind, but for the moment they were being drowned out by elation. Thoughts of soon being in Angela's suite and looking down on the city were all that she could bring herself to spend the energy to process. Inspired by this thought, she put Angela's phone down and pulled out her own. After connecting it to the speaker system in the transport, she scrolled through the list of playlists, and then a list of songs. She smiled at Angela as she found a song title and pressed her finger to it. (1) Angela was surprised by the rapidly building intensity of the song, something far removed from the tranquil music that she had been hearing so far that evening. Unlike the songs that only hinted at the intense energy beneath the surface, everything was now laid bare. She again found herself comparing Fareeha to music as she thought back to the small booth in Anjou where Fareeha had finally broken through the eroding layer of pretense between them by clearly expressing a desire to move forward together. When Angela kissed her, her hesitation rapidly gave way and she returned the kiss with surprising passion. The conversation ahead was sure to be difficult, but with the both of them giving their all to getting through it and helping each other along the way, Angela couldn't bring herself to be as afraid as she had been only a matter of minutes earlier. Realizing that Fareeha was as serious as she was about following through with this made the thought bearable and even somewhat exciting. The thoughts of the past were terrifying and preparing to discuss them filled her with dread, but that couldn't hope to outweigh the joy of thoughts of the future.

As the transport arrived in front of the hotel, Fareeha repressed a groan as she noticed a small crowd still outside of the entrance. While the fans from earlier had largely dispersed, she saw a surprising number of cameramen and reporters still standing by and waiting for someone to return. When the transport came to a stop and the driver stepped out to open her door, she readied herself to brave the flashes of cameras and the torrent of questions as though they were the winds of a storm. With a deep breath, she mustered all of the energy she could and stepped out, nodding politely and waving while doing absolutely nothing to contradict the driver's politely worded claims that neither she nor Angela would be conducting interviews on the slow march to the hotel doors. Just as Fareeha was certain that the ordeal was behind them, a young woman broke into a sprint after squeezing through the front of the crowd near the door and, after gracefully spinning around a hotel employee attempting to impede her, came to a stop in front of Fareeha, already speaking into a microphone.

"Your fan sites are going wild with speculation about tonight's events! News feeds have been flooded with declarations of love for the two of you in desperate final attempts to win your hearts! What do you have to say to the fans about the rumors that tonight has been a romantic evening for the two of you?"

She held the microphone pointed toward the face of a startled Fareeha, who was struggling to stop the torrent of obscenities that some small part of her mind was trying to convince her to level at the woman in front of her. She only stared blankly at the microphone, never once having thought to practice actually speaking to anyone. Just as she was opening her mouth to force words out in hopes of ending the encounter, Angela grabbed the reporter's hand and pulled the microphone toward herself. She spoke loudly and clearly with an air of authority that it was all but unthinkable that one would hear coming from her, audible even above the questions being shouted from every direction.

"Tell them that their moments of opportunity have officially expired."

Fareeha could only walk in a stunned silence as Angela took her hand and, sidestepping the reporter, pulled her along to the hotel doors. Just as they walked through, the small crowd exploded into chaos in response to the statement, filling the hotel lobby with nearly as much noise as there had been when there were more than twice as many people outside earlier in the day. Though Fareeha was curious about what prompted Angela to respond after having declined to comment all evening, something about her expression made her nervous about breaking the silence. She had a look of determination on her face so fierce that Fareeha wondered if she was angry. They walked into an elevator and, as the doors closed, Angela muttered something in German that Fareeha was almost glad that she didn't understand. In the middle of a sentence, Angela stopped after seeing Fareeha's concerned expression out of the corner of her eye. She sighed and wrapped her arms around Fareeha's neck, hugging her tightly and ignoring the elevator doors when they opened.

"I am sorry, love. I am just...tense. Tense and irritated."

Still not entirely certain what to think, Fareeha simply stood there and held her, breaking their embrace only when the elevator doors began to close again. Angela took it as a cue to move on and took Fareeha's hand once again as she headed into the hallway. The walk to Angela's door seemed much longer than it had the first time she made the trip as she considered the possible reasons for the sudden change in her mood. As they passed through the door and entered the suite, Angela closed the door behind them and again embraced Fareeha, looking at her apologetically as the lamps turned themselves on and slowly illuminated the room with a soft golden glow. Still not having determined a cause for her mood, Fareeha gave up on guessing and decided to simply ask.

"I can understand why you're tense, but why are you irritated?"

Angela sighed again, looking slightly embarrassed. "It was just the way that she asked such a thing. We are having a very important evening together, after all. I knew that question would come, but I was at least hoping that they would wait until after our date to ask it."

Fareeha still felt that she was missing something, but seeing that Angela was looking more calm, she decided to take her time continuing the conversation for fear of upsetting her again. She kissed Angela's forehead, bringing a smile to her face. After a few seconds, Angela let go of Fareeha and took off her cloak to hang it on the coat rack near the door. Fareeha followed suit, shrugging off her topcoat and tossing it at the hook, glancing at it only long enough to ensure that it didn't fall off. After a laugh from Angela, the two of them proceeded to the sofa and dropped their bags on the coffee table as Fareeha sat down. As Angela was about to follow her, she seemed to think better of it and turned toward the kitchen.

"Just a moment. I have nearly forgotten something important."

Before Fareeha could ask what it was, Angela had set off at a brisk pace and disappeared into the kitchen, just out of sight. She moved around for several minutes from one end of the kitchen to another, adding to Fareeha's curiosity as the sounds of rattling and glass being tapped reached her ears. Just as she was about to ask if she could help somehow, she jumped as she heard a loud popping noise.

"Is everything alright? Do you need any help?"

"No, no, everything is fine!" Angela came into view again, carrying a polished steel bucket with the neck of a bottle standing out of the top in one arm and two glasses in her opposite hand. She handed the glasses to Fareeha, the placed the bucket on the coffee table and pulled it closer to the sofa. The bucket was filled with ice and held a slender bottle of what Fareeha could only assume was wine. She examined the glasses as Angela sat next to her, curious about whether or not the difference in their design served some specific purpose. They were much smaller than the ones they drank from in Maritsa, and the rounded sides had a more angular appearance. Finding the prospect of admitting that there was one more thing that she didn't understand today to be embarrassing, she gave up on wondering about it and turned her attention to Angela, who had started taking off her shoes. She looked relieved to be free of them as she set them aside and took the glasses from Fareeha, then reached out to grab the neck of the bottle in the bucket. Fareeha couldn't help smiling at the thought that she wasn't the only one that found these sorts of things to be tiring, no matter how appropriate they may be.

Angela saw the smile on Fareeha's face and was immediately curious as she held a glass, stopping her attempt to pour anything into it in favor of satisfying her curiosity. "What is it, love?"

Fareeha attempted to remove the smile from her face when she realized that she had been caught, but with so many other thoughts floating around in her head and demanding her attention, she couldn't spare the energy to manage it. "I was just thinking that it's nice to not be the only one that finds these kinds of shoes to be...well, trying."

Angela couldn't help smiling herself. "To be perfectly honest, as much as I love them, they _do_ start to hurt after a while. I cannot imagine that yours are much more comfortable, especially considering that I have never seen you wear them before. You should take them off and get comfortable. There is no need to go anywhere anytime soon, after all."

An instinct to politely decline the offer was immediately pushed from Fareeha's mind when she noticed the fatigue and pain that seemed to have doubled in everything below her knees when she found herself not ignoring it for a moment. She wasted no time removing them and was surprised to feel a relief that closely resembled that of taking off armor at the end of a long day. Angela smiled a little more widely when she saw the relief in Fareeha's expression and went back to filling the glass with white wine before carefully handing it back to her.

"Speaking of getting more comfortable, here you are. I believe you will like it. It is Eiswein from Germany. It is quite young, but I believe that you will like it more because of that."

Having no idea what to think one way or another, Fareeha simply nodded, willing to take Angela's word for it. She waited for Angela to fill her own glass, then tasted it and found herself once again surprised. Despite the difference in color, she was expecting something similar to what she'd tried in Maritsa. It was surprisingly sweet with a scent and flavor that made her think of apricots. She drank from the glass again, eager to try more. Angela was once again entranced by Fareeha's pleased reaction to something new and smiled as she leaned against her, nearly forgetting her own glass.

"What do you think, love?"

"I'm surprised. I didn't really know what to expect, but I like it."

"I am glad. I was hoping I would find an excus—an occasion to open this." Though she smiled at her inadvertent admission, the deep shade of red quickly manifesting itself across her face prevented Fareeha from doing any more to acknowledge the slip of the tongue than smiling as she continued. "I thought it would be a nice way to continue our date...and it might help us relax. It will make talking a little easier, I think."

Angela couldn't avoid feeling the uneasiness growing inside her as she remembered the conversation to come, but she refused to waver in spite of it. She sat up long enough to reach out to the tablet still lying on the coffee table from earlier in the evening and, after placing it on her lap and scrolling through several different menus, slid a fingertip across it. The lights in the suite slowly dimmed, now only barely glowing enough for her to see the bottle of wine still in the bucket on the table. Satisfied, she placed the tablet on the sofa next to her and took another sip of her wine before once again leaning against Fareeha's shoulder. As Fareeha felt Angela leaning against her and feeling considerably less tense than when they first arrived, she decided it was safe to continue with her questions. Their conversation was clearly going to take a turn for the unpleasant and it seemed best to her to start slowly.

"If you don't mind my asking...well, what did you mean when you said that you hoped the question would wait until after our date?"

Angela looked up in confusion for a moment before laughing as she remembered the reporter in front of the hotel. Compared to the conversation she was preparing herself to have, it seemed ridiculous to her now to have been bothered so much by something so simple. "Oh, that? I am sorry, Fareeha. I was merely bothered by what she said and already being nervous caused me to overreact. I was thinking...well, something similar to what I was thinking in Maritsa. I have gone to great lengths to not show it before now, but I can be a little defensive where you are concerned."

Fareeha thought about it for a minute before remembering what Angela told her about walking through the restaurant and seeing so many people looking at them. Angela wasn't the type to get jealous; it filled Fareeha with a sense of pride to think that she would be the exception. She set her glass down on the end table next to the sofa, then put an arm around Angela's waist and held her tightly. As Angela looked up at her, Fareeha placed a hand on her cheek as gently as she could manage.

"Don't worry about it, Angela. You're right, after all."

"What do you mean?"

"They're too late and they can't have me. I'm yours alone."

As Angela's eyes opened wide, Fareeha leaned closer and brought her lips to Angela's, lightly brushing them as she kissed them. She pulled back to see Angela blinking away tears. Panic took root in Fareeha's mind as she started to calculate her actions and wonder what she had done wrong, but her thoughts were interrupted when Angela turned to pick up the tablet she'd placed on her side after dimming the lights. She placed it in Fareeha's lap and looked up at her, smiling.

"As I said earlier, I am entrusting this task to you. What song should I play if I need to calm myself?"

"Calm yourself?" Fareeha repeated the question, too confused to make sense of what was being asked of her. Between being worried that she'd made a mistake and trying to guess at Angela's feelings, the matter seemed too important to leave up to chance.

"Being with you is exciting on a normal day, Fareeha. With an evening this wonderful and such a daunting task ahead...it is a bit much to take in all at once."

Unlike after she kissed the top of Angela's head in the transport as they made their way to Anjou, Fareeha felt that she actually understood what Angela was feeling rather than simply being relieved that she wasn't angry. A song came to mind, but she couldn't clearly remember having sent it earlier that day. She took her arm away from Angela and leaned forward to retrieve her phone from her evening bag, then scrolled through several menus before initiating a file transfer to the suite's terminal. She placed her phone on the coffee table and leaned back in her seat, picking up the tablet when her watch beeped to signal the completion of the transfer. After scrolling through the playlists she'd transferred, she stopped on the name of one song in particular and set it to play (2) before putting it down on her lap. As the gentle sound came from the speakers, Angela took Fareeha's hand and pulled her arm back around her waist before resting her head on Fareeha's shoulder. They sat in silence for a minute and sipped their wine as the music played; Angela let the music and Fareeha's warmth surround her while Fareeha paid close attention to Angela's breathing to ensure that she was indeed calming down. As the song came to an end, Angela finally spoke again.

"How did you get so good at this?"

Though it was a simple question, Fareeha couldn't help feeling embarrassed over the compliment. She thought about it for a moment, but couldn't find anything particularly special about it. "I just listen to music to help me think. It says what I'm thinking, and that makes it easier for me to realize what it is that I want to say. I've been doing it for so long that I don't really think about it anymore."

Angela was immediately intrigued. Though Fareeha spoke of it as though it were nothing special, the thought of speaking through anything other than words was entirely foreign to her. "But how does one even begin learning to do something like that?"

She regretted asking as soon as the words left her mouth. Fareeha suddenly looked nervous and at the same time she looked as though she may be sick at any moment. After closing her eyes and taking a deep breath and another sip of her wine, she finally responded. "It was born of necessity. It was around the same time that...well, what we came here to discuss. When that happened. I've never been one to talk much and I suddenly found myself with a need to express what I didn't know how to say...or couldn't bring myself to. Music was a way to meet that need." Seeing that Angela's features were still contorted with concern, she added, "I'm fine, I promise. It's difficult, but as I said, it's what we came here to do. If it means that we can be together, I can endure it."

Angela didn't look as though she was entirely convinced, but she offered no further argument. Sensing that the moment to begin telling their stories had finally arrived, she found herself experiencing a feeling similar to the one she always felt as she was being deployed. It was a strange sensation of both knowing that her life could end at any moment and refusing to care. It made her feel as though everything that made her the person she was and gave her life was removed from her, placed on a table as a wager on the outcome of the performance of her body. She briefly thought back to the first time she found herself in battle and facing the enemy. The conflicting emotions inside of her somehow left her feeling hollow and the void was inexplicably filled with reckless abandon. She remembered how, in spite of a lack of conscious thought, she smiled and shouted at them, leveling her weapon as they charged at her.

 _You want my life? Come and take it!_

Though her current situation was as far removed from that day as she could imagine, she couldn't help comparing the two and feeling a sense of familiarity. Now that what she was dreading had ceased to simply loom on the horizon and had become an imminent threat, she found herself eager to charge forward and meet it. She took another deep breath and another sip of her wine before setting her glass down again and turning to Angela.

"I think it's time that I told you of my...circumstances."

Momentarily disarmed by the sudden change in Fareeha's expression, Angela simply nodded. She had seen that same look in her eyes before, but it looked entirely out of place without the screams and explosions of battle anywhere around them. Though the look of determination hadn't left her face, Fareeha seemed to be lost for a way to begin telling the story. She remembered the words that she had repeated to herself all evening. _We are going to have to help each other._ Thinking quickly, she nudged the tablet still sitting in Fareeha's lap.

"Take your time, love. We have all night, should we need it."

Fareeha gave an appreciative smile as she scrolled through the available playlists until she found one that felt appropriate. She opened it and, finding a song that suited her thoughts, she set it to play (3) and took a moment to collect herself. Her fingertips tightened slightly as they rested on Angela's soft waist and, remembering her reason for this struggle, she suddenly found the words to start her story.


	8. History Lesson (Fareeha's First Lecture)

_Author's note: The more I write this story, the more I prove to myself that the only thing my expectations accurately predict is how rarely my expectations are met. I'm no professional writer to be sure, but I expected to at least be able to have a general idea of how a chapter would pan out by now. While the changes to the outcome of the next chapter or two weren't entirely under my control (more on that in a moment), I can't deny that when I sit down and start writing, I have absolutely no idea how the story will go from that point. I only have a collection of noted ideas for situations and conversations that continue to grow as I start writing them. I'm certain that there are logical ways to approach writing, but I know of none of them that ever seem to apply to me. I start writing and the story runs off on its own while dragging me along behind it. I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining, though; the love of that feeling is much of what makes this fun rather than just work. With all of that having been said, I don't seem to be able to go very long without asking this but please bear with me as I try to adjust to whatever this is that I do instead of having a writing process._

 _After thinking it over, I've decided that I'm going to have to break this chapter into two parts just to keep it from being too long a read for a single chapter. I'm also going to change my plan to have another short chapter posted tomorrow morning and instead post the next part of this chapter (which I expect to be around this same length, for whatever my expectations are worth) as Saturday's regular update, then continue with the update schedule I set earlier (posting on Monday and Saturday mornings). Should I find myself getting ahead of schedule I may occasionally post a third update in the middle of the week, but I'm attempting to set a schedule I can maintain when my daily routine picks up its pace in about a month._

 _As I stated in the author's note of the first chapter, I'm attempting to stay as close to canon as possible while writing this. While I'm forcing myself to resist the urge to change anything that has already been posted, I still want to respect the official lore as much as possible in the process of running amok with it. In the wake of an especially significant announcement by Blizzard yesterday that affects this story (I'm sure you know which one), I'm having to proceed cautiously to ensure that I don't end up painting myself into a corner. I don't expect it to be an issue, but there may be a slight delay as I make any necessary changes to the parts of the story that have already been planned as a result of this new development. (Full disclosure: I may also need to occasionally take an hour or two away from writing to spend on the public test server to play around with the end result of the aforementioned new development.)_

 _Much to my surprise, there's only one song to list for this chapter. Still, in the interest of forming good habits I'm going to list it as usual._

 _1\. "Lady Brown" by Nujabes (featuring Cise Starr)_

"This story...where should I start? At the beginning, I suppose...yes..."

While it normally made her smile to see the usually unshakable Fareeha lost for words, Angela's mind was far too occupied with concern for her to appreciate it. She was doing her best to remain calm in the interest of not agitating Fareeha any more than absolutely necessary, but not without great strain. She was well aware of how difficult it must be to find the words to start telling the story; thinking of telling her own later was giving her the sensation of something cold inside of her attempting to claw its way out. The only thing upsetting her more than the thought of her own turn rapidly approaching was a sudden uneasiness over hearing about Fareeha's past love life. The thought that there was another in the world that held a place in her heart first was nauseating. The fact that this person could think of nothing better to do with such a precious opportunity than create pain that would haunt her for so long was even worse. Angela momentarily thought of the places she visited to give aid that were ravaged by war and the sick feeling she experienced when she saw places of worship that had been desecrated by the enemy out of revenge or spite. The two feelings were not at all dissimilar. She forced the thoughts from her mind in favor of supporting Fareeha. There would certainly be time to be furious once Fareeha's story gave her newfound enemy a face and an account of the transgressions that took place would no doubt give her plenty more to feel than vague and unfounded anger, but only if Fareeha was able to carry on speaking. _Besides, there is more to consider than anger, no matter how righteous. Fareeha is most important. I must make this easier for her._ Thinking this and seeing that Fareeha had so far only spoken long enough to verbally commit to continuing, Angela kissed Fareeha's cheek firmly, leaving a distinct crimson impression of her lips.

"I told you that I would replace it later."

Momentarily distracted from her thoughts, Fareeha found herself smiling back at Angela rather than feeling frustrated as she had a moment earlier. Though she had found the words to begin speaking, something about no longer having a reason to not speak them gave her pause. The words felt as though they were stuck in her throat in a final desperate attempt to not be spoken. No amount of logic on Fareeha's part could force them along, though she refused to give in after coming so far. The disruption of her internal struggle seemed to make it disappear altogether. Thankful for Angela's inexplicable ability to pull her out of her worst thoughts, she finally forced the words out.

"It was in Giza, just before I joined the army. I met a girl named Samia Moussa and...I made a mistake."

"A mistake? What kind of a mistake?" Angela didn't intend to interrupt, but the words were shocking to her. The thought that Fareeha could in any way be held responsible for what this Samia did to hurt her was unimaginable.

"I was young, wounded and vulnerable. I became desperate and placed my faith in the wrong person...and ignored the fact that anything was wrong with it."

In a time that now felt like an entirely different lifetime to Fareeha, she was young and just completing her secondary education. Joining the ranks of Overwatch was her only aspiration in life; now that school was no longer wasting precious hours of her day that could be spent training, her every waking hour went to one form of training or another. When her body couldn't continue with physical training, she dove into studying. Data storage devices were crowded with any documentation she could find that she thought may prepare her for the next phase of her life, from weapon manuals to military academy textbooks from around the world. The only thing taking up more of her storage space was her expansive collection of music that was largely comprised of her mother's collection that she'd long ago added to her own. Though Ana in no way approved of Fareeha's new daily routine, she had largely abandoned her attempts to dissuade her. The only disagreement of significance between the two of them was over Fareeha's plans for her future. Heated arguments were held long into the night on many occasions over the past several years as Fareeha approached the minimum age for voluntary enlistment. Ana desperately made any case that occurred to her, from attempting to scare Fareeha with horror stories to pleading to outright forbidding her to enlist. Many of her trips home included trips to cemeteries and veterans' hospitals and arguments that woke the neighbors, but it became apparent over the years that Fareeha's will would not break. Seeing this, Ana found herself forced to admit that as much as she wanted something better for Fareeha than a life on the battlefield, anyone with such a strong will and desire to serve was well suited to the life of a soldier. She often tried to convince herself that it was merely a phase born of a child's hero worship, but seeing the look in her eyes when she argued her case made it clear that she was no longer simply daydreaming about the fantasy life of being a hero. Hearing Fareeha make the same arguments that she'd presented to her own parents long ago also made it clear that the decision was not being taken lightly.

Having exhausted the last of her arguments against her daughter's decision, Ana had made one final attempt to steer Fareeha's life in nearly any direction other than her own. She agreed that, should Fareeha complete her secondary education and spend a short amount of time seeing the world before making her decision, she would no longer argue against it. Fareeha had grown up in a world where her mother was a famous hero of the people. She had never known of a life in which people didn't approach her daily with requests to hear stories of her mother's adventures and, more often than not, have an expectation that she would follow in those footsteps and one day return with stories of her own. It was Ana's hope that education and life experience would show Fareeha how large the world was would result in her seeing other options for her life and, hopefully, that would make her hesitate long enough to give them fair consideration. She often dreamed of a future in which she could retire from Overwatch and see a Fareeha that had grown into a woman with a successful career or, better yet, a family of her own. Ana was racked with guilt over seeing Fareeha grow over the years through video transmissions, often alone in a house large enough for a family. It had been several years since she had as much as a regular caretaker living with her. While Ana didn't believe for a moment that Fareeha needed anyone to take care of her, she didn't like the thought of her spending so much time alone. She was torn between her daughter and her career, but it was hardly as simple as walking away from battle and returning home. The world was falling apart in the wake of the Omnic crisis and, without someone to help put it back together, the future for Fareeha as well as the rest of the world was far worse than the present. She often found it strange that the holographic projection of Fareeha as a child that she kept at hand at all times was the only thing that kept her from dropping everything to run home to her.

Ana's concern wasn't lost on Fareeha, but her decision had long ago been made. She had no desire to cause her mother any pain, but as she had often argued, she wanted nothing more for her own life than her mother already had for hers. Hardly a day went by when someone came to Fareeha asking for news of her mother or to hear a story about her near death experiences one more time. Every time she responded, she found herself acutely aware that the next time someone approached her, they would be met with a story far more grim than exciting. She had no desire whatsoever to bring her mother the same pain that could only come from awaiting a fate with no way to change it. She only wanted to live her life the way she felt was best. A life of service to the future of humanity was the only life that would satisfy her. Life was precious; she knew this well as, because of her mother's lectures about the danger of service, she often considered the end of her own. Death was inevitable, whether on the battlefield or behind the safety of the walls of her home. No matter the cause, her precious and invaluable life was meant to end. To think that such a loss might amount to nothing was unbearable. Ana never wasted an opportunity to ask about how things were going at school and every report of Fareeha's outstanding marks was followed by discussions of how well suited she was to studying engineering. The thought of spending a life creating marvels while helplessly watching them be destroyed made her feel ill. Once the feeling passed, it was nearly always replaced with the thought of waking every morning with nothing to look forward to other than spending hours on end sitting behind a desk. The thought of such a future was maddening.

Thoughts of a wasted life pushed her forward nearly as much as doing something meaningful. She was driven to the point of obsession, working from sun to sun and often far beyond with only thoughts of improving herself to fill her days now that there was no school to occupy her. Though she never admitted it to herself, constantly remaining busy also kept her thoughts from wandering to how empty her home was with her mother gone. Though it had been that way for as long as she could remember, loneliness still hung in the air and haunted her like a vengeful spirit if she had nothing to occupy her. Her mother often asked her how she managed to do so well in school; she spent years finding humble explanations for her excellent marks without admitting to her mother that the long hours of studying kept her from feeling lonely. She was well aware of her mother's feelings of guilt over not being with her. Though Ana would never say it, Fareeha knew that the safety of the world was more important than the needs of any one child, even if it was her own daughter. She had made the same commitment herself. The only difference was that she had decided that she wouldn't have children that were forced to live as she did. She also knew that it was never her mother's intention for Fareeha to grow up alone; that her father wasn't there with her was far beyond anyone's control. The regret over her loneliness was made apparent by Ana's meticulous process for choosing caregivers to watch over Fareeha in her place. Though Fareeha appreciated her mother's concern for her, she couldn't bring herself to feel comfortable with them. No matter how excellent the quality of their service, caregivers were just that: They were caregivers. They worked in exchange for pay and nothing else. No matter how familiar, a nanny was only an employee that would give the same care and attention to anyone else's child in exchange for pay. Fareeha learned from an early age that love was something else entirely and could not be bought. After finally having convinced her mother that she could care for herself, her position on the matter was cemented when she realized that her home felt every bit as empty without anyone else in it as it did when there was an employee to welcome her home and cook her meals for her. All of the love she needed came through the screen when she spoke with her mother, though there was always the sense that there was some small part of her heart that was empty. It was an unsettling feeling, as though she was lamenting the loss of something she'd never had and, as such, couldn't hope to find.

These thoughts were painful, but far worse was the fact that she felt helpless in the face of them. As they were things that she didn't know how to change, she instead chose to accept them for what they were and not dwell on them. The future was a much more pleasant thought, especially now that she was so close to finally beginning the process of living her dream. The only thing left standing in her way was her agreement to gain life experience before enlisting. There was no set amount of time for this period of personal growth and the details regarding how she should proceed were vague at best. Fareeha found herself grinding her teeth together in frustration when she thought about this for too long as it was obvious that the lack of parameters for this objective had to have been deliberate. She had already lost precious time as part of this agreement and not having a clearly defined end to it was driving her mad. Though she could have legally volunteered to join the Egyptian Ground Forces more than a year earlier, meeting her mother's demands was unavoidable, especially now that there was at least reason to believe that those demands could be met without her giving up her dream altogether. In spite of her best efforts, she could think of no argument that could change her mother's position on the matter. Though the thought of losing more than a year of service ate away at her, realizing that she had only just barely managed to keep her mother from forbidding her to join even after her graduation eventually brought her to the decision that arguing further wasn't worth the risk. Hoping to both satisfy her mother and further her own goals at the same time, she had applied to work for a weapons manufacturer in assembly. It was hardly the life that she wanted for herself, but it wasn't unrelated and would hopefully result in one less step she would have to take after finally enlisting. More than that, ensuring the quality of the munitions sent to the people protecting both Egypt and the world at large was still doing her part to aid them in some way. Fareeha found herself surprised to see that she was accepted so quickly. The work wasn't exactly what she wanted for herself, but it was vital and not trusted to anyone so young and inexperienced. She could only assume that it was her mother that had inadvertently created the opportunity for her. The name Amari carried great weight with the Moussa family and opened many doors for Fareeha that would have otherwise remained closed and barred.

"Moussa? Why does that surname sound familiar?" Angela, who had again interrupted the story in spite of herself, found herself growing agitated without being entirely sure why aside from the feeling that it had nothing to do with Samia.

"The family owns the munitions plant, among others. It's how they made their fortune; they're the largest provider of weapons to the Egyptian military and do business with many other organizations around the world to a lesser extent, Overwatch included. There aren't many that don't have the Moussa's weapon designs in their arsenals somewhere. At any rate, it was only on their orders that I was given the job."

Angela grimaced as she struggled to resist the urge to continue speaking on the matter. She had often publicly spoken out against the Moussa family for their business practices that often included selling their weapons to the same people that created the chaos she dedicated her life to repairing. Though they were a private organization dealing in entirely legal transactions, Angela resented their choosing to sell weapons at all, much less to anyone that would willingly cause harm. She pushed the thought aside, reminding herself that helping Fareeha was the most important thing to her right now. "I am sorry to interrupt, love. I just...do not care for them much. Please continue."

It was on one of Fareeha's first days at work that she first met Samia. As with anything else she did, Fareeha took to her new job quickly, impressing her supervisors to the extent that her name was on the lips of even the company's executives. Samia's father, the patriarch of the Moussa family and presiding company chairman, often took tours of his factories and usually brought his daughter with him for the sake of hopefully instilling a sense of responsibility to both the family and its business. She made no secret of hating the tours, but having just completed her own secondary education, she was out of excuses to not attend. After hearing about Fareeha from one of the plant's managers, he found himself curious and went to see her for himself. Samia dutifully followed her father in hopes of not extending her time there with her usual arguing that she would rather be elsewhere that only led to lectures about responsibility that easily kept her there twice as long. The factories were uncomfortably hot and smelled of sweat, even in the offices on the upper floors. Worse still, there was nothing for her to do there but listen to conversations about sales and production quotas regarding things she knew nothing of aside from the fact that they were mostly guns of some kind. As much as she hated the tours and lectures and would much rather be with her friends and complaining about having nothing to do, she couldn't deny that it was a small price to pay considering that her father allowed her to do as she pleased with the remainder of her time as long as it didn't interfere with her studies or plans to continue to tertiary education.

As they made their way across a catwalk, Samia caught sight of Fareeha for the first time when her father asked the manager to point her out of the crowd of dozens on the factory floor. Fareeha was in the middle of operating a large drill press more than twice as tall as she was and carefully examining her work while wiping sweat from her brow with the back of a gloved hand. Samia found herself entranced by the sight. There were few women on the factory floor, but that was only the smallest of details that set Fareeha apart in her mind. Fareeha had undone her dark blue coveralls and let the top hang from her waist, gladly exchanging protection from the occasional spark hitting her skin for not having the thick cloth that was nearly soaked through with sweat weighing her down. The undone top exposed a white tank top that, like the coveralls, was soaked through and clearly showing the black sports bra and toned core underneath. The defined muscles in her arms bulged as she operated the press one last time and, finally satisfied with her work, she took a step back to view it from a distance as she lifted her safety goggles and rested them on her forehead. Aware of her discomfort now that her work was done, she took a moment to herself and untied her hair to neatly pull it all back into place behind her head. Satisfied that it would stay put, she took a small towel from a back pocket of the coveralls to wipe sweat and smudges of grease from her face and neck. Samia stared, unaware that her mouth was open as she took in the sight. Something about it that she couldn't clearly define made her heart race and her mind momentarily go blank. As Fareeha returned the towel to her pocket, she glanced at her watch. Something about the time seemed to upset her, causing her to quickly pull her goggles back down and retrieve the thin metal sheet from the drill press and carry it to a waiting cart filled with parts ready for further processing.

"Do you see that? That's the longest break she's willingly taken all day! We have to pull her away from the floor for breaks just to make sure she doesn't collapse from dehydration. You were right to recommend her, sir. We haven't failed an inspection since she's joined us."

Samia was startled out of her reverie by the sound of the manager speaking to her father. Realizing that she was staring and embarrassed by the realization of why her mouth suddenly felt dry, she quickly composed herself before going back to watching Fareeha at work. She only vaguely heard her father say something to the manager in response as she watched intently, taking in every flexing of a muscle and rolling of a bead of sweat. She was strangely embarrassed to find herself so fascinated, but the thought of turning away never once occurred to her. Fareeha had stopped working to examine the press and, seeing something that apparently bothered her, opened up a side panel and started examining the parts inside. She quickly turned and made her way to a place out of Samia's sight under the catwalk, returning a minute later with a large wrench balanced on her shoulder. Something about the sight caused Samia's fascination to finally get the better of her and she quickly turned toward the stairs leading to the factory floor before she could talk herself out of it.

"Where are you going?" Hearing her father's booming voice caused her to jump, her first thought being that her reason for leaving had been discovered. After taking a moment to clear her thoughts, she quickly created an excuse to leave.

"I want to see what that girl is doing. What did you say her name is? Fareeha? I just wanted to see what she's about to do with that wrench."

Momentarily stunned by his daughter's sudden interest in the inner workings of the plant, he quickly nodded and turned back to the manager before she could change her mind. Breathing a sigh of relief, Samia quickly made her way down the stairs, only remembering to mind her step when a stumble nearly caused her to tumble down half of the flight. Finally on the factory floor, she struggled to control her excitement as she walked across the floor toward Fareeha as calmly as she could manage. She was nearly at an arm's length when she arrived behind Fareeha, already putting all of her strength into turning the wrench that was halfway buried inside of the open panel on the drill press. The tensed muscles in her back were clearly visible through her soaked top, and the sight caused Samia to have to consciously recall why she had come down from the catwalk.

"Hey...what are you doing?"

Fareeha was confused by the sound of the gentle voice coming from behind her, barely audible above the noise of the machines around her. It wasn't familiar, but more than that, it sounded entirely out of place in the factory where everyone shouted their every word to ensure that they were heard over the machines. She turned to see a girl her own age that looked more out of place than she sounded. She was dressed casually, in a frilled white blouse and blue denim shorts that held closely to her curvy hips and exposed much of her long legs. Simple sandals exposed her feet and showed a flawless pedicure. She shyly looked at Fareeha with bright hazel eyes that stood out against the curtain of long black hair that fell far past her shoulders. Fareeha's first thought was that she must have wandered into the factory by mistake; everything about her appearance made her look like an accident waiting to happen.

"I'm just repairing some malfunctioning equipment. Hey, are you sure you should be down here? It's dangerous."

Samia was momentarily disarmed. Her shy approach was normally seen as adorable, but the effort seemed to be entirely lost on Fareeha. Her fascination was replaced with irritation as she attempted to parse the unexpected response. "What about you? You're down here."

"I'm also dressed properly." Fareeha had more to add, but decided to refrain from mentioning that she was also far better built. The girl in front of her had a petite frame that made her look cute and attractive, but Fareeha couldn't shake the thought that, surrounded by equipment and parts weighed in metric tons, she also looked as though she might be blown away by a strong breeze.

Samia couldn't argue the point that she certainly wasn't dressed to work, but she refused to concede the argument if only to keep the conversation going. "You're almost undressed, yourself. Is it that hot down here?"

Fareeha thought about how to respond to the question as she turned back to the drill press to continue her work as she spoke. She couldn't place why, but she had the feeling that she was being interviewed. "After a while, yes. These clothes are thick, but that makes them heavy. Nobody can stand it for long."

"If it's too hot to wear them, then why make people wear them anyway?"

"It's to protect us. Most of these machines throw sparks."

Samia fell silent for a moment as she attempted to find the logic in Fareeha's responses. "If you need the clothes to protect you, then why take them off halfway?"

"Because it's too hot to wear them." Noticing that the conversation was going in circles and that the girl was undoubtedly confused, she added, "the only other alternative would be to stop every few minutes to take breaks, so I'm just working with what I have and making the best of it that I can."

Though Fareeha was making more sense now, something was still eluding Samia. "So you'll just get hit by sparks? Even if it's not many, why would you go through that?"

"Time. There's not enough to go around, but there's still work that has to get done. As I said, I'm just doing the best I can under the circumstances. Besides, it's not that bad. You get used to it."

"But what about your skin?"

"It'll grow back."

Samia once again found herself staring open mouthed at Fareeha as she pulled several frayed wires out of the side panel of the machine, although now for completely different reasons. As Fareeha politely excused herself and headed to a tool chest underneath the catwalk, Samia processed what she'd just heard. She had never heard anyone but her father speak that way about the job they were doing. Though it seemed like a menial task, it couldn't have been more clear that Fareeha took it seriously. As she returned with a small toolbox, Samia watched her intently as she worked, cutting several wires and splicing in new lengths. Though Fareeha didn't appear to be any older than she was, it was clear that she knew exactly what she was doing. Samia thought about her friends that were also her age and couldn't imagine a single one that would have any idea how to even open such a machine, much less repair it. Fareeha took out a small device with two attached probes and started testing the connections she'd repaired and, looking satisfied, she closed the panel and flipped several switches. The drill press came to life as though it had never been damaged. She looked pleased with herself, but she never stopped moving as she placed the tools back into the toolbox and once again excused herself as she carried it back to the chest under the catwalk. Samia felt an inexplicable fluttering in her chest as she watched Fareeha return, once again lifting her goggles in preparation to examine the metal sheet.

"So, that piece of metal...what is it for?"

Fareeha was starting to grow uncomfortable under the girl's gaze. She still hadn't worked out why she was there or asking her so many questions. The thought of not being in control of the situation made her uneasy, but seeing no way to proceed other than cautiously, she continued answering as best she could. "Eventually, it will be part of an eighty millimeter smoothbore cannon."

"So why are you drilling holes in it?"

"They're holes for bolts that will hold them in place."

"How many of those do you have to drill?"

"I'm not sure. I just keep working until I run out of parts."

"And then what?"

"I ask the manager what to make next." Fareeha was struggling to keep her temper in check, but the barrage of seemingly pointless questions was grating at her nerves. Anyone allowed inside the factory should have already known all of this, which made it seem more likely that she had somehow wandered in by mistake. Worse, the distraction was making it difficult to be sure that she was doing her work properly. She was stopping twice as often to check her measurements when the constant distractions caused her to lose her place in the routine she'd created for herself. Unable to resist, she checked her temper and attempted to placate it by getting some answers as diplomatically as she could manage. "Why are you asking me all of this?"

"I'm just curious about you—I mean, I'm curious about what you're doing." Samia turned away from Fareeha, but not in time to hide the blush quickly making itself apparent in her cheeks as Fareeha turned to face her. She was utterly perplexed by the reaction. She had almost decided that this was some kind of a surprise inspection and was already regretting letting her temper get the better of her when she heard what sounded almost like an interest entirely unrelated to matters of business. Her sudden embarrassment only added to this new assessment. Unsure of how to handle anyone's interest in her outside of matters related to her work or her mother, she thought carefully as she chose her next words.

"There's...not much to tell you, really. I'm just doing my job."

"It's impressive. I don't know many people my age that take work so seriously. None, really. Well, you look like you're my age, at least..." Samia trailed off, leaving a shamelessly obvious opening for Fareeha to take an interest in the conversation that she had the feeling had been missing so far.

The opportunity created wasn't lost on Fareeha, though she wasn't sure if she even wanted to take it. Knowing how to go about it was an entirely separate matter. The silence between them was growing uncomfortably long, however; the need for something to fill it took precedence in her mind as she decided to merely be polite. "I assume I am. I just finished with school."

"Secondary?" Though she tried to sound casual about it, she couldn't keep the hopeful tone out of her voice.

"Yes. And you?"

"The same! Amazing...I can't imagine doing something like this all day long. Not well, at least."

Fareeha found herself feeling uncharacteristically bashful in the face of the compliment. People often boasted of her accomplishments in school, but something she couldn't quite place made this situation different. The few words exchanged between them was the most she could remember ever having said to someone about herself outside of conversations with her mother. Any other conversation she ever had always drifted back to her marks in school or her mother's exploits. Though she nearly always pushed conversations in one of those directions out of habit just to help it reach its conclusion, for the first time she found herself wanting to keep the conversation focused on her. "Well...as I said, I'm just doing my job. I was lucky to get it, so I should do it well."

Samia was pleasantly surprised to see that she seemed to finally be getting through to Fareeha. It wasn't until Fareeha mentioned something about her job that she turned back to the drill press and resumed working. She decided to press her advantage and moved in closer, pretending to examine Fareeha's work and understand what she was doing. Just as she was about to speak, Fareeha let go of the metal sheet she was holding in place and grabbed a lock of Samia's hair that had drifted dangerously close to the press. As she let go of the sheet, the drill press started spinning it. She saw the danger and moved to get out of the way as she punched an emergency stop button, but not before being slashed across her midsection. Samia screamed as a red stain began spreading across the front of Fareeha's tank top, seemingly bringing the entire factory to a halt. Seconds later, the manager came rushing to the scene of the accident with a first aid kit in hand as Fareeha was looking back and forth between Samia and her stomach, both trying to assess the damage and calm the situation.

"Are you alright? What happened?" The manager spoke in a panic as he placed the first aid kit on the drill press, now sitting motionless. He seemed torn between examining Fareeha's wound and checking Samia for any injury, unsure of which should come first.

"It's nothing...I'm fine." With the arrival of the manager to interrupt Samia's hysterics, Fareeha took advantage of the opportunity to take off her gloves and lift her tank top. She examined the cut closely, spreading it apart slightly to check its depth. It was an inch or two across, but fortunately not very deep. Though it didn't look at all serious, the agitation caused it to bleed more heavily and, seeing the girl with her looking as though she may faint, Fareeha quickly brought a hand down to cover it. "It's just a scratch, really."

Finally settling on examining Fareeha, he pulled her hand away from the wound to see it for himself before breathing a sigh of relief. "You're right...it's not bad." He turned to Samia and repeated, "it's not bad. It looks worse than it is." Turning back to Fareeha, he added, "it's going to need some stitches, though. Head up to the infirmary."

"I'm sure I can fix it. Besides, I still have work to do and I need to see if this piece can be salvaged."

The manager stared at Fareeha incredulously for a moment as she glanced back at the sheet still stuck in the drill press. "You...you're not serious." He seemed to find his answer in the fact that Fareeha had merely gone from looking at the sheet on the drill press to looking at the small pile of parts waiting to be processed and remembered that she wasn't the type to tell jokes any more than take breaks. "You need stitches. Go and get yourself cleaned up. It's almost the end of the day, anyway; the next shift can pick up the job from here."

Fareeha turned back to face him, stuck between surprise and disgust at the thought of leaving the job before it was finished. A stern glare told her that there was no point in arguing, but rather than feeling relieved, she merely felt guilty. "I'm sorry...it was my fault. I let go of—"

"It was my fault!" Samia blushed fiercely when she realized that she had shouted louder than she had been speaking when the floor was filled with noise. Now that all work had come to a stop to see what was happening, the factory floor was all but entirely silent and allowed her voice to echo. Determined to divert blame away from Fareeha, she continued with a guilt-ridden expression. "I got too close to that...that thing. Fareeha let go of that metal thing to get me out of the way."

Fareeha winced at the sound of someone speaking on her behalf, even if it was true. Having excuses made for her mistake was worse than making the mistake itself. The only thing worse than that was having someone make the excuse for her. Before she could interrupt and assume responsibility, the manager responded. "I was wondering what was going on down here. I was just on my way to ask you to step back, anyway. Good work, Fareeha."

Fareeha's mind was racing to make sense of the situation. It seemed reasonable enough on the surface, but she was left with the distinct impression that she was missing something important. The manager looked as relieved about the fact that this girl was unharmed as he was about the fact that Fareeha merely wasn't bleeding to death. It raised new questions in her mind that were only interrupted by a sharp pain from her stomach. Remembering that she'd been ordered to get stitches and now unable to argue that she needed them after feeling the sting of sweat working its way into the wound, she picked up her gloves and, stuffing them into a back pocket, made her way up the stairs in the direction of the infirmary.

Twenty minutes later, she was sitting on a table in the infirmary and carefully examining the bandages covering the eight stitches in her stomach. The anesthetic that had been administered kept it from hurting, which annoyed Fareeha to no end. Despite assuring the medic on duty that it wasn't necessary, she merely looked at Fareeha as if she must be joking. Something about accepting it made her feel as if she was somehow dodging taking responsibility for her mistake. Unable to think of anything to do with the thoughts other than obsess over them, she pushed them aside and prepared to put her clothes back on. On the medic's orders, she had undressed to check for any other wounds that adrenaline may have been keeping her from feeling. Pleased that there were none to be seen, she had nearly forgotten that she was only dressed in the black sports bra and a matching pair of compression shorts that held as closely to her body as a second layer of skin. Glad for something to do, she reached out to take the coveralls and stained tank top the medic was handing to her just as the infirmary door opened.

"Fareeha? Are you in he— _oh!_ "

Fareeha tried to make sense of the startled reaction from the girl she'd been talking to on the factory floor. It took her a moment to realize that it must have been that she wasn't expecting her to be undressed, but the reaction still didn't quite make sense. She stood in the doorway with her back to Fareeha but also not showing any sign of leaving. As she tried to imagine what could be so startling about seeing a girl changing her clothes, she imagined the situation with their roles reversed and thought of seeing the petite yet curvy frame in front of her only barely covered. Suddenly feeling nervous herself, she rushed to put the tank top back on and winced as she felt a sickening tugging sensation coming from her stomach.

"Careful! You'll tear out the stitches!"

Samia quickly turned around in spite of herself at the sound of the medic's exclamation, already expecting the worst. Fareeha had instinctively brought a hand to the bandages covering her wound and waited for more pain before remembering the anesthetic. The medic moved her hand, then carefully removed the gauze and gave the stitches a careful examination before breathing a sigh of relief. "It's alright, but you're going to have to be more careful." She looked up from Fareeha's injury after replacing the bandages to see that Samia was still standing in the doorway and staring despite no longer looking concerned. Noting her expression, she smiled and excused herself before quickly disappearing from the infirmary.

Fareeha, momentarily distracted as she wondered about the medic's abrupt departure, quickly remembered that the girl was still standing there. Thinking of her surprise now and her reaction to the sight of blood earlier, she pulled on her coveralls as quickly as she felt was safe to cover the blood on the tank top. "Y—yes? Did you need something?"

Samia blinked several times as though she had forgotten why she was there. "Oh! Right! I just...wanted to see if you were alright."

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you. Also...thank you. For explaining earlier, I mean." The thought of thanking someone for covering for her was as uncomfortable to her as having them come to her defense in the first place. She wasn't at all accustomed to accepting kindness from someone, especially in exchange for nothing.

"All I did was tell the truth. Besides, I should be thanking you; you saved me, after all."

Fareeha paused in the middle of buttoning the sides of her coveralls as she remembered what first caused the accident. She didn't want to make the girl feel guilty, but she couldn't help being curious. "Don't worry about it. It would have been far worse than a little scratch if I hadn't. What were you doing, anyway?"

Samira blushed as she tried to find an excuse for having come so close. "I was...just looking. Like I said, I was curious."

Though not at all convinced, Fareeha had a feeling that she wouldn't get any more information from simply asking and decided to let the matter drop. "From now on, I should probably just tell you about it instead."

Samia laughed, but suddenly looked as though an idea had struck her. "That sounds like a good idea. Why don't we meet tonight and you can tell me more about it? We...could have dinner while we're at it."

Samia had attempted to suggest an ulterior motive with her tone, but it was lost on Fareeha, who was busy attempting to process the thought of having dinner with someone else. Aside from various nannies and her mother, she had never even considered eating with anyone before. It seemed to be a simple thing, but something about the situation that eluded her made her unusually anxious about it. Still, it seemed impolite to refuse. "Well...I am free. I suppose we could meet—"

"Wonderful!" Too excited to wait for her to finish, Samia pulled out her phone and sent her contact information to Fareeha, who stared at her side pocket in surprise when it beeped to confirm that it had received a new message. "I'll meet you at your place in, say, two hours? I'll cook! I'll see you then!" Before Fareeha could ask any questions, she had already turned and run out of the infirmary.

"Wait a minute...how did she know your number?"

In an instant, Fareeha was pulled out of the factory infirmary and had crossed more than a decade, landing in the present on the sofa next to an embarrassed Angela. Slowly filling with frustration that she had been struggling to hold in, her focus had been disrupted by the question that she blurted out before she could stop herself. Fareeha took a moment to collect herself before remembering that she had yet to give an answer.

"I didn't find out until later, but she got it from the bookkeeper. Her being the chairman's daughter kept him from maintaining employee confidentiality, apparently. I didn't know that at the time, of course; I didn't even know her name until I looked at my phone."

Though her question had been answered, Angela didn't look entirely satisfied as she absentmindedly stroked a fingertip over Fareeha's stomach, thinking of the small mark she had seen on countless examinations and treatments. "I always wondered how you got that scar."

"I wish there were a better story behind it, but it was just the first in a series of mistakes. Not that I'd have let her get her hair caught in a drill press, but I would've handled the aftermath a bit differently had I known better."

Fareeha hoped that Angela would be willing to let the issue go. She didn't know why, but Angela was looking more annoyed by the second and continuing to talk about it only seemed to annoy her further. Much to her dismay, Angela continued speaking. "So she gave you her number in exchange for stitches? It hardly sounds like a fair trade."

Fareeha smiled, although weakly. "If I knew then what I know now, I'm sure I'd have agreed with you."

Angela suddenly felt guilt bringing her back to her senses. Her irritation with this girl that she didn't know was growing with every detail she heard. At this rate, she would be in an outright rage by the time the story ended. Seeing that her glass was empty, she reached for the bottle of Eiswein and refilled both of their glasses. It was difficult for her to hear about this girl that had hurt her Fareeha, but she knew that it had to be far harder to tell the story than to hear it. She took another drink, draining half of her glass at once. _I must be here for Fareeha. This is going to get worse before it gets better._ Feeling slightly more calm, she found the strength of will to help keep the story moving.

"So...what happened after that? This Samia...I take it she showed up?" Though she had resolved to put Fareeha first, she couldn't resist thinking the worst of Samia.

"Unfortunately." Fareeha took a moment to think about it before noticing that, without realizing it, she had been delaying telling the worst of the story and only mentioning the best of a bad situation. She looked down at the tablet in her lap and took a moment to put her glass down and scroll through the songs, searching for only a few seconds before finding one that wouldn't let her escape thinking about what needed to be said most. She set it to play (1) and picked up her glass with an unsteady hand.

"What is this song?"

"It's where everything went wrong." Fareeha took a sip of the wine and attempted to calm herself. Her stomach seemed to refuse to sit still as though rejecting the act of recalling the memory that occurred to her, but she was more determined now than ever to stop running from the thought and finally put it behind her. A slow breath and a tender kiss on the cheek from Angela gave her a gentle push forward and the strength to carry on.


	9. History Lesson (Fareeha's Final Lecture)

_Author's note: I'm surprisingly relieved to be done with this chapter. It was especially difficult to write. I see now what people mean when they say that they get attached to their characters. As much as I hate the thought of putting Fareeha and Angela through this, though, I'm certain that it's important that they get through it somehow. The next chapter or two don't promise to be any easier to write, but hopefully it will result in a better story in the long run. The songs played in this chapter have been noted as usual. On a related note, the book Fareeha mentions that she shows to Angela near the end of this chapter is_ _Lost at Sea_ _by Bryan Lee O'Malley._

 _1\. "60 Feet Tall" by The Dead Weather_

 _2\. "22-Carat Tear Jerker" by Xploding Plastix_

 _3\. "Lady Brown" by Nujabes (featuring Cise Starr)_

 _4\. "It's Nice to Know You Work Alone" by Silversun Pickups_

 _5\. "The Frug" by Rilo Kiley_

Angela listened quietly as the song Fareeha had chosen played in the background. It was relaxed and sounded quite romantic, but the sense of foreboding hanging in the air made it impossible to appreciate it. Fareeha had fallen silent and looked deeply troubled, as though the music was causing her pain. In such a tense atmosphere, the music felt more like a warning of impending doom than an expression of romantic feelings toward someone. As the song came to an end, Fareeha went from looking troubled to outright distraught as she finally spoke.

"I'm sorry, Angela. Just...give me a moment. This is harder than I thought it would be."

Angela nodded silently, then emptied her glass and leaned forward to place it on the coffee table before returning to Fareeha and wrapping an arm around her. She leaned her head against Fareeha's shoulder and gently stroked her knee with a free hand, hoping to give some measure of encouragement. Her heart screamed at her to put an end to Fareeha's suffering, but her mind knew all too well that she would never stop after coming this far. Though it gave her a feeling uncomfortably similar to sending soldiers back into battle before their wounds were fully healed, she made a firm decision to help Fareeha continue rather than try to convince her to turn back.

"What is it about that song that upsets you so?"

As she responded, Fareeha looked less troubled and more as though she was about to be sick. "It was from...that night. It was the first time I ever chose a song for someone else." Despite the feelings she had at the time, the thought now made her stomach turn and her heart feel empty and cold. She always thought of it as a wasted opportunity, but now that she was carefully examining the thought rather than simply pushing it aside, it felt more to her as though a thief had stolen a part of her that she had yet to replace. Angela wasn't taking this new revelation any better; she again thought of desecrated temples and wanted to be angry and lash out at Samia despite the knowledge that it would do nothing to harm her. _No...it will accomplish nothing. Besides, Fareeha needs me._ Just as she was about to speak, an idea occurred to her that might let her accomplish both goals at once. She looked up at Fareeha with her best unbelievable impression of a stern glare.

"So that Miststück is why it took so long for me to find out I had a song?"

Fareeha's focus was shattered as she once again found her mood turned around in an instant by the mysterious power Angela seemed to have over her. Though she tried to hold it in, she found herself laughing uncontrollably as she wondered what a Miststück might be. "That...that _what_? Do I want to know what that means?"

Angela blushed, suddenly embarrassed when she realized too late that more of her anger came through than she intended. "Well...suffice it to say that it is an appropriate description." Though she was still feeling somewhat guilty for speaking her thoughts quite so clearly, she couldn't help also feeling relieved that her plan had succeeded. With the stifling atmosphere lifting, she decided that it was best to keep the conversation going. "Well, no matter. My song is better, anyway."

"Actually, I was just thinking that you deserve a better one."

Thinking of the song she used as Angela's ringtone reminded her that she had only chosen it when she thought there was no hope of a future that held a moment like the one in which she currently found herself. Considering that her dreams were coming true right in front of her, it hardly seemed appropriate to do anything other than find a better one. As she quickly ran through songs in her head to see if any occurred to her, the memory of the story she had yet to finish telling once again pushed its way to the front of her thoughts. Fareeha nearly started laughing again when the thought that had all but paralyzed her moments earlier seemed to be making a desperate final attempt to keep itself relevant now that Angela was occupying her mind. With the reminder that she was moving forward and not back, her strength returned to her and she found herself eager to keep moving forward if only to finally be done with it.

"Well, I'll find one for you later. For now, let's get this over with, shall we? I have a perfect future to consider and this miserable past is complicating matters."

Angela nodded, quickly taking on a stern expression and bracing herself for the remainder of the story. She knew that it was crucial that Fareeha's fears be put on display if they were to move past them, but she was certain that as important as it was, she wasn't going to like what she was about to hear. She did her best to not worry Fareeha by growing tense as she resumed speaking.

Nearly half an hour after having left the infirmary in the factory, Fareeha found herself feeling inexplicably exhausted as she started rummaging through her kitchen. Work was tiring, but she was accustomed to not worrying about it as she normally had nothing to do other than lift weights or go for a run before ordering dinner and studying. The thought of having an engagement that night was upsetting. Dealing with anyone for long often took more energy than she was willing to part with and the dinner date that was quickly approaching was worse than most occasions. She didn't deal with people nearly enough to have any significant amount of experience with them outside of knowing how to quickly and somewhat politely end a conversation. As such, there was still much about the situation that didn't make sense to her; all she had to work with was a list of assumptions about Samia's intentions that suggested a long list of possibilities that she'd never dealt with before. Guessing at what Samia may want from her was frustrating without any evidence to support any of the thoughts that occurred to her, leading her to decide that the best thing she could do was carry on with the evening and find out for herself. She searched for a playlist that she felt would both calm her mind and allow her to get some work done as she considered the amount of cleaning that she was about to have to do. It was irritating to think about it, but it was better than the uncomfortable feeling of not being sure of Samia's intent. Finding one that she'd centered around a song that felt appropriate for the moment, she set it to play (1) and started pulling out cookware.

With no idea of what to expect that Samia might be thinking of cooking, she decided that, as usual, the simplest solution was likely the best and resolved to clean everything. It wasn't a difficult job as it was just a matter of getting rid of the dust that had accumulated on them, but it was time consuming and required her to spend energy that she didn't feel that she had to spare. As she almost never used any of it herself, it had been collecting dust in her cabinets and drawers for months. Although she often considered that she should cook more, she always came to the conclusion that her time would be better spent on physical training or studying. The stipend that her mother reserved for her to care for herself was more than sufficient for buying prepared meals or going to restaurants for every meal if necessary. Still, she never got rid of the cookware that the caretakers had collected over the years since it wasn't in her way and she always told herself that she would start cooking again when she found the time. Her relief over not having to worry about buying anything for the evening was enough to keep her from complaining about the fact that she had to clean it all.

It took the better part of an hour, but with the last load of cookware in the dishwasher and everything else dried and placed back in the cabinets, she could finally focus on getting herself cleaned up. Her relief following finishing the cleaning was replaced by new concerns as she had no idea how to dress for the occasion. This led to considering the occasion itself and remembering that she had no idea what that occasion was. The prospect of dressing for a specific event was always daunting as she never put much thought into what she was wearing outside of whether or not it was functional for whatever she was doing at the time. This usually meant clothes intended for exercise, but that hardly seemed appropriate for inviting someone to dinner. As she thought about it, though, she recalled that she hadn't invited anyone for dinner. Samia had invited herself and, worse, she had fled the infirmary before there was time to argue. Suddenly irritated, she reached into her closet for a pair of black jeans and a simple white button front dress shirt before storming to her bathroom to shower. _If you're going to invite yourself over without warning, you're going to take what you get._

Fareeha stood in the bathroom with ten minutes to spare after giving herself a quick look in the mirror. While she had only intended to make sure that she looked presentable, she was surprised to see that she looked unusually formal. There was nothing particularly special about her appearance when she considered what she may be expected to wear on a special occasion, but it was noticeably more effort than she usually put into her appearance. The white dress shirt and black jeans were comfortable, but the way they were cut caused them to hold close to her body and show off far more of her slender and athletic figure than the sweatshirts and the thick and slightly baggy work uniforms that she normally wore. Her shoulder length hair was pulled back the same way she wore it at work and was slightly damp and out of place, taking away from the effect slightly. Annoyed by the fact that it was detracting from her appearance, she pulled off the band holding her hair in place and quickly decided to wear it down in spite of her frustration with Samia.

As she picked up a brush and started untangling her hair, she found herself unable to avoid thinking about the girl that had so inexplicably taken an interest in her. She thought back to the moment she'd first approached and tried to think of anything she may have been doing that would've drawn her attention, but as she had only been working at the drill press, nothing occurred to her that seemed to stand out as special. Grinding her teeth in frustration, she ran the brush through her hair one last time and, satisfied that it was as straight as it was going to get, she left the bathroom to take the last of the cookware out of the dishwasher before her frustration could get the better of her again. No matter how many times she considered the matter, there was still no new information to work with. It wasn't until she checked her phone on her way out of the infirmary that she even knew the girl's name. On seeing the surname Moussa, she immediately went back to thinking that it had to be business related, but the thought didn't last long. Though the little she did know about the Moussa family was that they only ever spoke of business matters, something about the way Samia spoke made it clear that her interest had nothing to do with the production of smoothbore cannons. Making one last desperate attempt to make sense of it all, she quickly recalled their conversations and her body language. It all suggested that she was nervous about approaching and was suggesting something that Fareeha hadn't managed to catch. Just as she started to wonder what she was missing, a gentle chime signaling an announcement came from the speakers scattered around the house.

"Incoming call from: Samia Moussa. Video not available."

"A—accept." Fareeha was surprised that she had to force the word out. Her irritation with having her plans for the evening made for her and her frustration with trying to make sense of it all disappeared in an instant when she found herself accepting a phone call from someone. It was rare that anyone called her. On the rare occasions on which it happened, she always felt oddly nervous about it. That the call was coming from Samia made it worse than usual. "H—hello?"

"Fareeha! I just wanted to say that I may be a few minutes late. The groceries just arrived. I'll be leaving in just a few minutes, though. I hope you're hungry!"

The only thing more disorienting than finding herself on the phone with someone was dealing with anyone quite so cheerful for no apparent reason. "Yes...yes, I am. Don't worry about the time."

"Well...I don't want it to take any longer than it has to. I'm pretty excited, after all! I'll see you soon!"

"Right...I'll see you soon." Fareeha could only stand staring blankly into the distance as the call disconnected. Samia certainly sounded excited, but it only added to Fareeha's confusion. She couldn't imagine that there would be anything exciting about hearing about her job to someone that didn't know any more about it than to refer to a drill press worth twice her annual salary as "that thing". It was a relief to eliminate a possibility, but all that was left was an unknown option. The only thing that she was able to gather from the short conversation was that something about tonight was certainly special. She thought about her appearance again, suddenly feeling the need to make sure it was the best it could be. She couldn't think of anything that she owned that she could add to it. Just as she was about to give up on the thought, she remembered a small amount of lip gloss that she'd once bought on a whim. It wasn't much, but it seemed like enough of an atypical amount of effort that would show that she was equally as excited about the evening ahead. _Well, not excited, really...but I guess that "nervous" is close enough._ After reminding herself that she was on her way to put away the last of the cookware still in the dishwasher, she rushed to complete the job while trying to remember how to apply the lip gloss that she may or may not have used twice since buying it.

Several minutes later, as she carefully applied the gloss, she quickly thought of any other small touches that she may be able to add to the evening that would indicate an effort on her part. As she looked around, she noticed the music playing over the speakers in the house. She enjoyed it, but it didn't sound quite right for something that was supposed to be a special evening. She quickly imagined the evening playing out and, while she still didn't have any idea what the mood would be, the thought of the excitement in Samia's voice made her think of her own occasional daydreams of special evenings out in sophisticated night clubs. Suddenly inspired, she ran to a tablet in the living room, clearing the analysis of the battlefield tactics of Napoleon Bonaparte she had been reading the night before and opening a list of playlists. She quickly selected one with a jazz theme and set it to play just in time to hear the doorbell ring.

Fareeha ran to her front door and was surprised to see that she was quickly out of breath. It took her a second to realize that it wasn't a matter of distance as much as excitement. Embarrassed to find herself flustered over what was an annoyance only minutes earlier, she took a deep breath to calm herself before opening the door. On the other side stood a smiling Samia that caused an odd fluttering sensation in Fareeha's chest. She looked almost entirely different than she had only a couple of hours earlier. Her hair was pinned up in a bun near the top of her head, showing large golden hoop earrings dangling from her ears. Her dress seemed simple, but it took Fareeha several seconds to pull her eyes away from it. The sleeveless dark blue lace dress subtly drew the eye to the smooth mocha skin underneath. It hugged her petite frame closely, clearly displaying the curves beneath. Despite the fact that the bodice was topped with a bateau neckline that rose to just beneath her collarbone kept the majority of her torso covered, it fit closely enough to show the alluring curves that the frilled white blouse that she was wearing earlier had largely concealed. When Fareeha noted the hemline of the flared skirt that only extended halfway down her thighs, she was shocked to find herself wondering if the point was to entice. Pushing the thought aside, she realized that she was staring and rushed to finally welcome Samia in.

"I—I'm sorry. Welcome...please, come in."

Samia smiled in a way that made Fareeha wonder if she was somehow amused by the attention she was getting. She looked back to someone standing just behind her that Fareeha had completely failed to notice; judging by his appearance, he was Samia's driver. He was holding two large bags filled with groceries that he started to hand to Samia. Guessing at what would be appropriate, Fareeha stepped outside to take the bags and then stood aside to allow Samia inside before her. After dismissing her driver and saying that she would call when she was ready, she stepped inside and removed her heeled sandals, then gasped as she looked around her.

"Amazing! This is your home? It's lovely!"

"Thank you. It's my mother's, honestly, but I try to keep it up." Fareeha thanked her automatically with a response that she assumed was a polite and appropriate one. Though she didn't want to sound dismissive of the compliment, she couldn't entirely appreciate it. To her, it was just home; relatively large, but functional above all else. Everything in it had been bought by her mother and it never occurred to her before that moment to wonder what she may have been thinking when she decorated the place. While it displayed a relatively modern design, everything was simple nearly to the point of being entirely utilitarian. The only things that didn't serve a specific function were the plants of varying sizes scattered throughout the house, though it was only Fareeha that seemed to find them useless. Her mother always said that they were important because they showed her how well Fareeha was doing when she was gone. Fareeha never understood exactly what she meant by it, but it was enough to take special care to ensure that they remained healthy lest her mother return home and change her mind about letting her live alone.

Fareeha was startled when Samia suddenly turned to face her without warning. "What song is this? I like it."

It took a moment for Fareeha's mind to switch gears and take in the song that was playing. (2) It was a slow and almost somber song that seemed to indicate the air of sophistication she was hoping to achieve. She again felt a slight fluttering sensation in her chest when she realized that it seemed to be having the desired effect. "It's just a song from my mother's collection. Somehow, it ended up in mine over the years."

"Captain Amari? This is her music?" Samia seemed to be focusing on the song with a renewed interest. Fareeha felt her insides sinking as the conversation shifted away from her. As earlier in the day, she found herself wanting to be the focus of Samia's attention in spite of how much it annoyed and confused her. Just as she was starting to think that she had determined the reason for the interest in spending time with her, Samia suddenly added, "you have good taste in music. And clothes, it would seem. Very simple and straightforward, but still attractive. It's how I pictured you when I was on my way here. I wish I'd thought of it before I got dressed, though...I may have overdone it a bit."

Noticing the obvious cue to comment, Fareeha rushed to form what she hoped was a sufficient compliment. "I like it...it looks good on you. I was actually thinking that I was a bit underdressed. Between the two of us, you definitely look better." Feeling embarrassed after having spoken more of her thoughts than she intended, Fareeha made for the kitchen to find a place to put the bags and, hopefully, hide her sudden uneasiness. Samia followed, but only after Fareeha managed to notice the color deepening in her cheeks.

As Fareeha placed the bags on a countertop and started to wonder what was in them, Samia reached into one and pulled out a long, black apron, then carefully lowered it over her hair and around her neck before turning her back to Fareeha. "Could you...tie the back for me?"

Fareeha obliged while she considered Samia's tone, oddly cautious and suggesting an ulterior motive. Though she couldn't imagine what kind of danger there was in tying an apron on someone, she couldn't help noting that it was the kind of tone she would expect to hear from someone that was trying to lead her into a trap. The thought was pushed out of her mind when she suddenly took in a sweet and floral fragrance coming from Samia's neck. She was at a loss for an explanation as to why, but it made her head swim and caused her to have to consciously recall how to tie a knot. As she tugged at the apron strings, she became acutely aware of how close she was to Samia, who seemed to be waiting patiently. Fareeha rushed to tie the knot and step away before it could be asked why she was lingering, but Samia made no reference to it as she turned, smiling and looking strangely satisfied.

The next hour seemed to pass in a blur for Fareeha as Samia went from one cabinet or drawer to the next, pulling out cookware and utensils with practiced hands that made it clear that she was no stranger to cooking. Fareeha momentarily wished she had paid more attention to the caretakers that had cooked for her over the years so that she could do something to help. Though she felt guilty for not doing anything to assist, she was relieved when her every offer to help was met with a polite refusal from Samia, who insisted that she simply relax. Though she didn't need to know how to help, she still wished that she could follow along with what Samia was doing just to make conversation about it. Now that Samia was here, Fareeha realized that she had no practice whatsoever entertaining guests. She was grateful that it didn't seem to matter. Samia didn't seem to have any problem with carrying the conversation, mostly asking about Fareeha's life and ambitions. Everything she said about herself was met with a surprising level of interest from Samia. Though Fareeha attempted to keep her responses short, her every answer was followed by more questions as Samia worked tirelessly. She had never spoken so much about herself and every facet of her life, from growing up largely alone to her experiences in school and her desire to join the army and, eventually, Overwatch. It all seemed quite boring to Fareeha, but Samia took in every detail and continued asking for more. It wasn't until she announced that dinner was nearly ready that Fareeha realized that she had yet to ask anything about Samia.

"Well, what about you? Tell me something about yourself."

Samia seemed surprised by the request. "Me? Oh, there's nothing to tell, really. It's nothing as interesting as joining the army...I can't even imagine how difficult that must be, not to mention having to train every day just to get yourself ready for it."

Fareeha, sensing that the conversation was starting to turn back to her, quickly deflected the statement. Though she was enjoying talking about herself for the first time that she could recall, she was still curious about Samia and why she had taken such an interest in her. "It's nothing that special, really. It's just work." Remembering the conversation that had taken place in the factory earlier, she quickly added, "come on, tell me about yourself. I'm curious about you."

Blushing fiercely, Samia's determination seemed to falter as she reluctantly began telling Fareeha about herself. Though she started by only telling minor details about herself as she began setting the dining room table, Fareeha responded in the same way that Samia had earlier by following up her simple responses with more questions. She seemed overwhelmed by the attention and soon began speaking at length, talking about her friends, her family and her daily routine of shopping and keeping further ahead of everyone she knew when it came to being fashionable. It all seemed simple enough, but she spoke about it in excruciating detail. It was exactly this kind of conversation about seemingly nothing in particular that usually annoyed Fareeha to the point of avoiding them altogether, but she couldn't help enjoying it this time. Samia continued speaking about the places she liked spending her time and which friends were likely to show up at each of them as they began eating the baba ghanoush and maḥshi ḥamām that had been prepared. It wasn't until Fareeha had taken her first bite that she lost track of the conversation, causing Samia to quickly look worried when she noticed the sudden distraction.

"I—is anything wrong?"

"Wrong? It's _amazing_!" It wasn't until that moment that she realized that she hadn't eaten a home cooked meal in the better part of a year. Even then, it was only something Fareeha had quickly made after a moment of frustration with the thought of making another sandwich for the third night that week. While she normally valued her independence, she couldn't deny that not having the time or energy to spend over an hour cooking most days made for a few experiences that she missed having from time to time.

Blushing intensely, Samia looked down at her own plate, absentmindedly pushing food around but not managing to eat any of it. Seeing that she had unexpectedly gone quiet, Fareeha thought for a moment about the proper way to proceed. Her first thought was that something was wrong, but at the same time, she seemed to like the attention. Hoping that her assessment was accurate, she continued asking her about herself. "How did you get so good at cooking?"

"It...it was my parents' idea. They want me to become a good wife and find someone nice to marry. Learning how to cook just went along with that plan."

"If you can pull together something like this so effortlessly, I get the feeling that you won't have anything to worry about."

Samia giggled in spite of herself, overcome with emotion after hearing the compliment. She ate in silence until Fareeha continued with her questions.

After eating, Samia suddenly asked Fareeha for a tour of the house, a request that was met with confusion. While it was slightly larger than the average home, it hardly seemed large enough to warrant a tour. Despite this, she quickly agreed as indulging her seemed to be the polite thing to do. Samia followed behind her, politely commenting on each room in the house and only stopping when they reached Fareeha's bedroom.

"Hey...what's in here?"

"That? That's just my bedroom."

"Can I see?"

Fareeha couldn't say why, but she found herself again suspicious of Samia's intent. Nothing seemed harmful about it, but something in her tone made it seem as though there was an ulterior motive behind the request. "Sure...if you really want. There's nothing special in there, though."

Though something about the interest in her bedroom seemed out of place considering that Samia had only commented on her mother's room filled with souvenirs from her travels just enough to be polite, Fareeha couldn't think of a reason to be concerned about it. She was surprised by Samia's excitement when they walked through the door and she began looking around the bedroom that Fareeha only ever thought of as just another room in the house. A simple set of bedroom furniture was the only thing that looked as though it belonged there. Every available corner was filled with various pieces of exercise equipment, most notably a set of dumbbells in one corner and a heavy bag suspended from the ceiling in another. Every available surface was covered with books about military history and physical fitness that had long ago been imported into her tablet. The only thing not quite fitting the theme was a large framed poster hanging on one wall over her king size bed depicting Reinhardt. Samia looked at it and smiled as she turned back to Fareeha, who was already feeling embarrassed by the thought of having to explain why it was there.

"I've had it since primary school. It's...my favorite one."

"That's _adorable_!"

Samia seemed to genuinely appreciate the one personal touch prominently displayed in the room that didn't seem to serve some specific purpose. Fareeha was surprised by the reaction; from the way Samia spoke of keeping up with current trends, she was certain she was about to be laughed at. Just as she was about to admit to what she was thinking, Samia sat on one side of Fareeha's bed and pick up a heavy book with a worn cover on the nightstand next to it. She wasn't sure why, but the sight caused Fareeha's heart to stutter.

"Why such a large bed? It's one of the only things in here that looks like it's for comfort."

 _I'm surprised she noticed that._ Fareeha turned away as she felt heat spreading across her face. "To...keep me from falling out. I toss and turn in my sleep. I finally asked my mother to buy me a bigger bed when I got sick of waking up on the floor."

Samia laughed as she looked down at the book again. "As I said, adorable. What is this, exactly?" Despite staring at the cover, Samia seemed to be somehow confused by the book in her hands.

"That's just an old book about wilderness survival. I bought a digital copy a couple of years ago, but I've had it so long that I couldn't bring myself to throw it out."

Samia flipped through the pages, stopping on one detailing the process of tying various types of knots. "Why would you need to be able to tie so many different knots? A knot is a knot, isn't it?"

"Not really. They each have different uses. It's an old book and many of them are rarely used anymore, but it's good to know just in case it ever comes up. You'd be surprised what might save your life when you're in the middle of nowhere."

Samia looked over the different knots again, but didn't seem to be able to pull any more information from the page. "I still don't see the difference. Show me." She smiled shyly as she patted the bed next to her, causing Fareeha's heart to stutter again as she obliged.

After several minutes of explaining the differences in the uses of the different knots, Samia smiled at again, though something about her expression had changed that Fareeha couldn't place aside from the fact that it made her a little nervous. "You know, I think you've probably forgotten more about survival than I've ever known. The best I can do is not leave the city and hope it never comes up."

Something about the tone of the compliment made Fareeha uneasy, although the sensation wasn't entirely unpleasant. "It's...just that I'm sure I'll need to know it at some point. In the army, I mean."

"You really are serious about it, aren't you? It's impressive. I don't know anyone that committed to anything."

"It's just what I've always wanted to do. It's nothing special..." Fareeha's voice trailed off as she felt Samia's hand on hers. She tried to speak in an attempt to remain calm and casual, but the words in her mind refused to come out of her mouth.

"Don't say that. It's special... _you're_ special." Samia leaned in closer, again overwhelming Fareeha's senses with the floral scent coming from her skin.

"N—no, not really. It's just—" Her words were cut off as Samia placed a light kiss on her lips. Unable to react, Fareeha could only stare in shock.

Samia laughed and blushed as she looked away. "I'm sorry. I've just been wanting to do that for a while."

"N—no! No, don't be sorry. It was—I mean, I...liked it." Fareeha was at a loss as to how the words managed to come out, but she couldn't bring herself to regret them.

Smiling, Samia took it as an invitation and leaned in again, this time pulling Fareeha close as she kissed her. Fareeha's eyes slowly closed as she put a hand on Samia's waist and the world around her faded out of focus, only able to manage to focus on the soft lips that eventually began to part. Her head spinning, it took her a moment to notice a tugging sensation from somewhere on her torso. Immediately thinking of her stitches, her eyes opened in surprise as she looked down to see Samia's finger hooked inside of her shirt. One of her buttons had been undone and she was working on a second. She looked up, her mind unable to process the confusion in addition to the flood of emotions clouding her thoughts. Samia only giggled and quickly kissed her again as the second button came undone.

"You're unbelievably strong, but you're cute when you're at a loss."

Fareeha started to speak, but again the words wouldn't come. A third button came free and revealed a simple black bra underneath and, seeing it, Samia smiled as she put a finger underneath it and tugged on it to pull Fareeha closer. "Come, now...no need to be shy."

"Schlampe."

Fareeha once again found herself brought back to the present with a jolt. She looked over at Angela, who was staring off into the distance and, for a moment, Fareeha got the feeling that it was for the best that she couldn't see her expression. She didn't recognize the word, but the tone made it clear that she should wait for the moment to pass. As she sat in silence and waited for Angela to speak, it occurred to Fareeha that the story was dragging along. In her determination to tell it in spite of her desire for the ordeal to be behind her, she had gone into a bit more detail than was necessary. _I don't know any more about talking to people now than I did back then. Better too much information than not enough, I suppose, but I should get on with it...for both of our sakes._ She was grateful when Angela spoke again and interrupted her feelings of guilt.

"So, this...Samia...she set out to seduce you from the beginning?" Angela spoke slowly and clearly, but the tension in her voice was unmistakable.

Fareeha released the breath that she didn't realize she was holding until Angela finally spoke. "Yes, it seems that way. It took me years to figure that out. At the time, I didn't know much about people outside of what I'd seen on television. I just...assumed it was normal."

Angela immediately regretted sounding quite so terse. It took a moment for her to remember that someone like Fareeha who spent so much of her life alone up to that point was all but helpless in such a situation. She attempted to soften her tone as she continued. "Do you...have any idea why? I mean, I know why I would do such a thing, but I am inclined to question that girl's motives."

Fareeha's brow furrowed as she considered the question. "I can't honestly say that I'm certain about that. I've wondered about it before, of course, but the only thing I've ever been able to imagine is that it's because I was different."

"Different? How?"

"I wasn't like anyone she knew. I willingly gave her attention. From the way she talked about her friends, it was the sort of thing that was only given begrudgingly, if at all. More than that, I worked hard and had plans for the future. It was exactly the sort of thing that she and all of her friends avoided. Normal behavior for that age, of course, but the fact that I was the opposite made me stand out. I was a piece that was missing from her collection."

"Collection?"

"That's how I've always thought of it. She always referred to people by the traits that set them apart from others. She gathered people around her that stood out in some way, whether it was their accomplishments or their ties to other noteworthy people. Everyone that shared her company had to have an extraordinary selling point, and mine was that I was different."

"And incredibly gorgeous."

 _How does she keep doing that?_ Fareeha hadn't taken any particular notice of the sour mood that was developing inside of her until Angela managed to break her out of it. "Well...I don't know about that, but she did seem to desire me."

"And you?"

She immediately regretted having asked when she saw the look on Fareeha's face, suggesting regret more than anything else. "I was in love...at least, I assumed I was. It isn't as though I had anything to compare it to at the time. I was empty inside when she came along and filled that space with something. It never occurred to me to question what it was or whether or not it was good for me. I just accepted it and was grateful."

Angela cringed at the thought of not being able to even share such an experience with anyone. "Was there no one you could talk to about it? Someone that could have...warned you?"

"There weren't many people for me to tell...only my mother, really."

"What did she think?"

"She seemed excited at first. I think that finding someone special was exactly the sort of thing she was hoping would come along and keep me from wanting to join the army. She didn't waste any time voicing her approval in the beginning, but...she changed her mind."

"Why?"

"The more I told her about Samia, the less she trusted her." Fareeha thought back to the long conversations she had with her mother about the budding romance. As excited as she seemed at first, the conversations gradually took a much more serious tone.

"Why did she not trust her?"

"It was the way that she treated me that my mother didn't like."

"The way she treated you?" Angela felt herself growing tense, experiencing a sensation that made her think of being in a falling aircraft and bracing for impact.

"It wasn't anything overly offensive, at least not to a girl that was desperate to not be alone anymore that didn't know any more than I did about dealing with people. It was the way that she always seemed to be keeping me a secret from everyone that bothered my mother. We only ever spent time together at my house and never seemed to run into each other anywhere other than at the factory. When her father brought her there, she wouldn't as much as make eye contact with me. My mother always said, 'this girl should be proud of being with you! She should be sharing her good fortune with everyone the same way that she shows off those trashy clothes she buys!' " Fareeha paused as she heard a soft laugh from Angela. "What?"

"I just found myself missing Ana. She never was one for holding much back."

Fareeha smiled at the thought. "True...especially when she knew she was right. She only stopped bringing up the matter when I refused to hear her warnings. It's my own fault that she stopped trying to warn me. I was hopelessly attached to Samia by then and I didn't take kindly to any criticism of her. I was always stubborn and she knew what was coming. I think she didn't want to add to the hurt by upsetting me beforehand. She was right, of course, but the more the thought of losing Samia came to mind, the harder I tried to fight off the inevitable. Naturally, Samia always had plenty of excuses for it at the time. She often talked about how traditional her family was and how much they wanted grandchildren. When it came to her friends, she often mentioned how many of them knew her parents personally and might get jealous and tell them about us. She was always certain that they would be proud to welcome me into their family just because of my mother and the fact that I was about to follow in her footsteps. It was just going to take time for them to adjust to the idea. I was so desperate for a rational explanation that it never once occurred to me to question her until it was far too late."

"But...why work so hard for someone that was not doing the same for you?"

Fareeha sighed with regret. "I wish there was a better explanation for it, but I just didn't know any better. All I wanted to do was make it work. I didn't put any thought into what I was doing or why. I didn't see it at the time, but...I was afraid. I didn't realize how lonely I was until I had someone. In a night, what I always saw as normal became painful. In my fear, I didn't see that I had gone from trying to prove that the relationship was working to trying to prove that it wasn't failing."

Angela thought of the Fareeha she had always known, obstinate in her refusal to turn away from a task because it was difficult. Seeing the woman she had grown to become, it was difficult to imagine that she wasn't always that way. It never once occurred to her that a specific event may have been the catalyst for the development of that personality trait. She looked up at Fareeha, sitting in silence and clearly lost in her memories as she took another sip from her glass. Angela was lost for the words that would bring any measure of comfort but refused to sit there and do nothing. She focused on the problem and decided to rely on what seemed to always work, again nudging the tablet in Fareeha's lap.

"So, that song you played earlier...I take it that song reminds you of her?"

Fareeha repressed a shudder at the thought of the song, (3) but she was grateful to have been pulled out of her own thoughts. "It was later that night, after..." Fareeha found herself unable to finish the sentence. Despite her natural inclination to force herself through to completion in the face of difficulty, she refused to attempt to complete the thought. "We talked for a while about music and she asked me to play something special for her. It was the first song that came to mind." It pained her to think about the song again, but Angela seemed curious about it. Refusing her was something that she wasn't accustomed to doing, and she could find no sense in starting now, especially for the sake of someone long dead to her. She forced herself to remember her words to herself earlier that evening and felt a small amount of relief. _The cow doesn't deserve it. Besides, I like this song._

"I see." Despite her desire to help Fareeha, Angela couldn't deny that continuing this conversation was painful, even on the receiving end. It took her a moment to recover. "Perhaps another song is in order now."

Fareeha looked down at the tablet and, immediately understanding what Angela was thinking, scrolled through another playlist before stopping on one song in particular. (4) The sound of the electric guitar was harsh when compared to the soothing sound that was echoing in her mind a moment earlier, but when the shock of the transition from one song to the next passed and the vocals came in, she was glad for a better representation of her feelings.

Angela took a minute to take in the words and hazard a guess at why Fareeha chose it before she continued speaking. "There is something that I still do not understand. Even if she was afraid of what her family would say, why would she do something as horrible as try to hide you from them?"

"I've asked myself that same question so many times that I stopped just because I was sick of not having an answer. There are many possibilities; it could be that we were young and I was taking it more seriously than she was, or it could be that she was cornered and afraid, or she may simply be heartless. I never asked her why, but it's probably just as well. I wouldn't have believed anything that she told me."

"Why would she have been afraid?"

"It may have just been a convenient excuse, but from what I know of them, her family really was traditional. More than that, they wanted to ensure that both the family and the business would continue to grow...to the point that they arranged a marriage for her."

" _Was zur Hölle?_ "

Fareeha flinched at the sound of the exclamation. _I think I know what that one means._ "I didn't find out until after everything was out in the open. Her parents found a boy from a wealthy family in Cairo. They were also weapons dealers, but his family's weapon designs were revolutionary...and a threat. A merger between the two families would ensure a merger of the businesses."

Angela was apoplectic. "And how long was she hiding _that_?"

"Longer than she was hiding me. From what I gathered later, it had been decided several months before we'd met."

Fareeha was relieved when Angela once again reached for the bottle in the bucket on the coffee table, this time emptying it into her glass. If nothing else, it meant that she was in control of herself enough to try to calm down. Never having seen her so angry before, Fareeha wasn't entirely sure how to proceed. "Perhaps...this is enough for tonight."

"Absolutely not." Angela spoke with a tone that made Fareeha freeze in place, not daring to do as much as breathe too deeply. Noting Fareeha's sudden tension, she added, "please...continue."

Fareeha waited a moment to ensure that it was a good idea before speaking again. "There isn't much to tell. I found out about him and...well, there wasn't any pretending that things would somehow work out afterward."

"How did you find out?"

"Her birthday party."

Fareeha thought back to telling the shortest possible version of the story to Lena earlier in the day and was surprised to find herself relieved to tell it now. At the time, it was a thought to be avoided at all costs. Now that she was finally about to tell the story for the first time since it happened, she could almost feel the relief of finally getting past it. It was just a matter of saying the words and being done with it.

"She told me one day that she was having a birthday party soon. She talked about what a grand affair it was going to be and how hard she was trying to find the perfect dress for it. I assumed it was an invitation and the day had finally come for her to introduce us to the world as a couple. Thinking about it now, she was most likely just bragging and didn't even consider that telling me about it was a bad idea until after she had done it. She seemed unusually tense the rest of that night, but I didn't think about it any more than any other warning sign she gave. The closer the day came, the more I started thinking of making a good first impression. They always spoke highly of me around the factory, but that hardly seemed to be enough to impress someone like her father. I started...shopping. For a dress."

Angela took in the words and found herself once again noticing the elegant black silk crepe de chine dress she was now wearing. Realizing that there was no way she had managed to buy it without remembering this story, her heart started to ache when she considered what Fareeha must have endured earlier in the day. "W—what happened then?"

"I sent her a message one day to ask what time I should meet her for the party. She didn't respond."

"Until when?"

Fareeha tried to smile, but it turned into a grimace. "Never."

Angela took a moment to process what she was hearing. She had known that whatever Fareeha had endured must have been painful, but she never thought before that moment that it would parallel her own experiences. The thought that so much harm had come to her was nearly too much for her to bear. She desperately searched for the right words, but none occurred to her other than more questions.

"Did you not recover?" Angela asked the question barely above a whisper with a desperately hopeful tone.

"More or less, but it took time."

"More or less?"

"I eventually came to terms with it, but nothing ever came along to replace what I'd lost. I'm glad that I had already decided to join the army. By that time I was hollow and reckless, and the combination doesn't bode well for one's future." Fareeha again remembered the moment in which she found herself in battle for the first time and felt a chill run through her when she considered how close she had come to losing a future in which she could regret her actions. The army gave her direction, but it didn't fix the parts inside of her that were broken, seemingly beyond repair. It was often only through luck that she managed to survive long enough for the direction she found to take root and give her life some focus other than despair.

"And...did you ever try again?"

"No. Never. There were others that took an interest, but...by that time, I'd had plenty of time to think about the mistakes that I'd made in ignoring warning signs. Every time someone approached me, I saw those same mistakes waiting to be made again. People had an interest in my mother's legacy or what doors I could open for them, but never in me. Just like with Samia, there was no love there. I was merely useful or...convenient. The thought that Samia was the closest I'd ever been to having someone care about me alone aside from my mother made me sick." Suddenly finding it difficult to continue, she quickly scrolled through the songs on the tablet and selected another. (5) As the familiar and deceptively pleasant sound of a guitar reached her ears, the words to express her feelings finally took a definite form in her mind. "I tried to think about finding someone to get close to one day, but it seemed as though I was no longer capable of it. As the years went by, I just stopped worrying about it. It was a new kind of normal. I didn't even care anymore until...well, until I got to know you."

Angela had given up on finding a silver lining to this story and was taken aback by the sudden change in Fareeha's tone. "M—me?"

"Yes. You were the first one that was truly different." Fareeha seemed to be thinking for a moment. Angela waited as patiently as she could for her to continue. "I've been wondering about this for a while now, but I think that's what bothered me about having feelings for you. You actually were different. I kept looking for those warning signs and never saw them. I couldn't find anything about you that suggested that you would hurt me, but I was convinced that there must be something there. If I'm honest with myself, I was convinced that I must be the problem." Seeing that Angela was looking aghast, she quickly added, "I was the only common factor in all of those situations, after all. More than that, I worried about losing you if I wanted something that you didn't."

Angela was overcome with emotion, but she used all of the strength available to her to put the feelings aside and bring the conversation to a conclusion. _It is time to put that Miststück to rest for good._ "Did Samia ever come up again?"

Fareeha startled Angela when she laughed. Having put everything out in the open, she found herself able to view the situation objectively and compare the past to the present. The stark difference between the two made her feel lighter somehow. "At first, it was all I could do to not hear her name every day. I heard much of her and her engagement, but given her family and the fact that I worked at the factory for a few more months before enlisting, I suppose that couldn't have been avoided."

"Did she ever try to talk to you?"

"Once. A few years ago, I received a letter from her."

"A _letter_? In the post?"

"Yes, surprisingly. From the envelope, it appeared to be hand written. It was around the time my name was becoming known, so I can only assume that it was someone in her family that arranged to have it delivered to me before someone at Helix could have it thrown into a bin as fan mail."

Angela braced herself for an unpleasant turn of events. "What...what did it say?"

"I don't know. I never opened it."

Angela forced herself to not breathe a sigh of relief. As guilty as it made her feel, it was exactly what she was hoping to hear. "What...did you do with it?"

Fareeha shrugged, her tone suddenly flippant. "I stared at it for several weeks and then asked to have it returned. As I said, whatever she had to say, I wasn't about to believe it. In the end, I decided that it didn't matter what she wanted." As Angela kissed her cheek again, she couldn't help wondering what she'd done to warrant the sudden show of affection. "Not that I'm complaining, but...what was that for?"

"I know this will sound terrible, but I am glad. She is in the past where she belongs." Angela laughed and turned away, looking embarrassed. "As long as I am being...well, less than pleasant...I cannot help thinking that she is surely one of the many people talking about us tonight."

Fareeha raised an eyebrow. "That's a good thing?"

"For me, it is wonderful. Now she knows that it is too late to correct her mistake."

Fareeha smiled at Angela's words. It couldn't have been more apparent that she had finally replaced what she had lost. The pain of thinking of the past hadn't left her, but it didn't trouble her nearly as much as it had even a few minutes earlier. She thought for a moment, searching for the words to express the feeling to Angela.

"I suppose I was alone for so long after that because my standards were too high. I couldn't find anyone to fill that void, but at the same time, I refused to fill it with whatever happened to come along. I already knew the consequences of making such a rash decision."

"That does not sound unreasonable. I do not believe that it is fair to say that your standards were too high."

"It felt that way when nobody would measure up to them, no matter how reasonable I may have been. The thought doesn't bother me now, though. Having exceptionally high standards merely means that nothing less than the best will suffice for me. Even if a thing is greater than the sum of its parts, you still can't expect greatness from that thing if those parts are substandard. That's why I take so much care to only accept that which exceeds my standards. I can do better by doing without than by doing poorly because something holds me back."

Angela thought about it for a moment before reluctantly agreeing. "That makes sense, though I still do not like the idea that you would have to go without."

"It's necessary sometimes. You can't expect to do great things without sacrifice. If nothing else, it can't be said that my logic isn't supported by empirical evidence."

"What do you mean?"

Fareeha smiled and kissed Angela's cheek. "Even now, at this very moment, I continue to grow and improve...all because I refuse to accept less than the best."

Angela struggled to keep her thoughts on track, though it was difficult in the face of such a bold declaration. "What...what was it that brought you to such a realization?"

"Saleh. He was curious one day about why I insisted on refusing an invitation to dinner from the son of a wealthy businessman. I never told him the whole story, but he can be quick on the uptake so it isn't unreasonable to think that he managed to guess at what I wasn't saying. He talked me into reading an old book that he thought might do me some good. When I realized that it was a comic, I thought he was trying to make a joke. I only read it because he seemed so certain that it would help somehow."

"Did it?"

"I've never told him, but my only regret was that I hadn't met him a few years earlier." Fareeha picked up her phone and loaded an image with words written over a simple drawing of a car speeding down a moonlit road. She handed the phone to Angela, and she quickly scanned the words until she found the quote that she was certain had caught Fareeha's attention. _And I will wonder forever if I'll see you again, or for six days, or for eight months, or for five years, or for the rest of my horrible, beautiful life. And other things will happen to me that are just as amazing and lovely and traumatizing as you have been, and I will tell you none of them. Maybe._

Worrying about the significance of the length of the silence in the midst of what was a lightening mood, Fareeha cautiously continued. "I...can't honestly say that she doesn't still find her way into my thoughts from time to time. The person, I mean. Usually when she comes to mind, it's only the pain she caused that I think of. I don't like it, but I haven't rid myself of her presence entirely yet. It...it bothers me to think of someone like that winning."

Angela looked up from the phone in confusion. "Winning? How?"

"She got everything she wanted."

Angela could only smile. "She did not get you. As far as I am concerned, I have won." _You hear that, Samia? I have won._ After hugging Fareeha tightly, she slowly stood and headed for the kitchen.

"Where are you going?"

Angela sighed, though the smile on her face remained. "To get another bottle of Eiswein. I am certain that I am going to need it. You have been quite brave in telling your story, but...now it is my turn."


	10. History Lesson (Angela's First Lecture)

_Author's note: I don't have much to add here this time as I only seem to be able to think of working on the next chapter. The only thing of importance to note is this chapter's track list.  
_

 _1\. "Beautiful" by 10 Years_

 _2\. "At Seventeen" by Janis Ian_

 _3\. "6 Underground" (The Umbrellas of Ladywell Mix #2) by Sneaker Pimps_

 _4\. "I am in Love with You" by Imogen Heap_

 _5\. "More Like You" by Rehab_

Angela returned to the sofa with another bottle of Eiswein in hand. Seeing that Fareeha's glass was nearly empty, she reached out for it to refill it first. As she took it and started filling it, she noticed that Fareeha looked troubled.

"Are you alright, love?"

"I was just wondering if perhaps we should stop here for tonight. This has been stressful, after all."

Angela was surprised to find herself feeling disappointed. She was ready to finally put this matter behind them and move on to whatever the future held. With the way the evening had been going, it promised to be better than the present. More than that, it couldn't possibly be anything but an improvement over the past. Despite this, she couldn't deny that it had been an exhausting ordeal to hear it all; thinking of her own feelings of recalling similar memories, it was impossible to imagine that telling it was any easier. "Well, it has been a difficult night so far and it would be nice for it to end on a positive note. I agree that you have been through enough for one night."

Fareeha looked confused. "Me? No...I was thinking the same of you."

Angela smiled appreciatively as she put the bottle in the bucket next to the first and sat back down next to Fareeha, careful to not spill the wine in the small glass. "Do not worry about me. I am quite alright, all things considered. Besides, I would much rather be done with this than continue dreading it." Though this was true, she couldn't deny that she wasn't exactly looking forward to it, either. Feeling nervousness building inside of her, she closed her eyes and took a sip of the wine to help calm her nerves. It wasn't until she opened them again that she realized that, lost in her thoughts, she had forgotten that it was Fareeha's glass that she was holding. "I—I am sorry, Fareeha. I was not thinking clearly...and after I just finished saying that I was fine. I will get you another."

Fareeha laughed and gently put a hand on Angela's thigh to keep her still before she could stand. "It's okay! Don't worry...it's not a big deal." Quickly realizing that Angela's sudden nervousness likely had little to do with drinking from the wrong glass, she decided that it would be best to drive the point home and give her at least one less thought to trouble her. She took the glass from Angela's hand and took a sip from it. "See? It's fine. If anything, it's better."

Angela's face began to darken with a scarlet tint as she smiled and leaned against Fareeha's shoulder. "I am sorry...do not mind me. I am admittedly nervous about this, but I assure you that I am alright."

Fareeha relaxed as she saw that her attempt to calm Angela's nerves had been successful. Though that was her reason for having made such an effort, however, she couldn't deny that it wasn't her only reason as Angela reached for the glass to take another sip. Fareeha couldn't help smiling at herself as her heart began to race, causing her to wonder how the thought something as simple as sharing a glass with someone could be so thrilling. _It can only be because it's Angela. Had it been anyone else, I'm sure I'd already be annoyed by now._

Fareeha's racing heartbeat seemed to catch Angela's attention. "I cannot tell you how flattering it is to think that I excite someone so much. If I did not know better, I would think you were simply doing it to be kind."

Realizing that she had been discovered, Fareeha could only laugh. "If I could, I would hide it and spare myself the shame. It would be a useful talent considering how often it happens."

Angela looked up from the glass in surprise. "This happens often?"

"Always." As she thought about it, something occurred to Fareeha that brought to mind a question about something that she had never been close enough to Angela to notice before. "Why can't I feel _your_ pulse?"

"Hmm...I wonder." Angela responded in her usual playful manner, but something about it seemed slightly off to Fareeha. Having an uneasy feeling about it, she decided against inquiring further. Seeing Fareeha's acquiescence gave Angela the feeling that she should make things clear before there could be any misunderstandings. "Make no mistake, love...even though the mechanics may differ slightly, the effect you have on me is every bit as strong."

Still curious but satisfied that Angela didn't seem to be especially troubled by the question, Fareeha felt the urge to carry on with the conversation before the situation could change. "Well, if you're certain that you're up to telling me about your past, I would certainly like to hear what you have to say."

"Oh?"

"I never said it before tonight, but I enjoy learning about you. More than that, it seems only fair after you listened to me talk about that... _mistook_." Fareeha couldn't hold in her laughter for long, still wondering exactly what it meant.

"And what are you thinking about that...girl...now?" Angela hesitated, smiling in spite of herself but suddenly feeling embarrassed by how much she had lashed out earlier. She was grateful that Fareeha seemed to have been amused by it, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she had merely gotten lucky.

Fareeha thought about it for a moment before giving up on finding the right words and looking to the tablet again. She searched for a minute before finding a song and pressing play. (1) Angela listened intently to the entire song before finally speaking. After having so much difficulty asking the question, she was surprised to find that hearing the music speaking on Fareeha's behalf made it easier to continue speaking of it. She could only assume that this was how they had slowly fallen into a comfortable pattern of taking in the music long enough to find the meaning in it before carrying on with the conversation. Somehow, the conversation was easier to have when they took time to not have it.

"It sounds as though you are still troubled by thoughts of her."

"To some extent, but after seeing where each of our paths have led, I just feel pity for her more than anything else."

The thought was comforting to Angela, who still felt some measure of worry over what Fareeha may have been thinking about the girl she left behind so long ago. Though one of the things that she treasured about Fareeha was that she was never one to mince words and always made herself clear, the irrational fear continued to nag Angela from the depths of her thoughts. _I am going to have to get over that as well._ Seeing only one way to start along the path of doing so, she found herself once again facing the daunting task of dredging up the memories that she had been so desperately attempting to bury only hours earlier. _It is time to be done with this, I think._ She started to take another drink, but seemed to think better of it.

"What's wrong?" Angela looked up to see Fareeha eyeing her with concern.

"I was just wondering if I am drinking too much."

Fareeha thought about it for a moment before responding. "You seem to be fine. Are you not feeling well?"

"No, I feel quite fine. In fact, if anything I feel like having another drink."

"Then why hold back?"

It took Angela a moment to compose the words for her admission of guilt. "This evening, I have been rather...indecent. A number of times, in fact."

"I haven't noticed."

Though relieved, Angela raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I would have thought that you would be growing tired of me by now."

Fareeha returned Angela's expression with one of confusion. "Why would you think that?"

"Because my behavior has been less than proper."

"I'm seeing a new side of you. I don't even know what is normal for this part of you yet. How am I to say that it's improper?" Seeing a sudden change in Angela's expression to one that she couldn't quite place, Fareeha's own expression reverted to one of concern. "What is it?"

"I was just remembering what first made me start having feelings for you. I started to set you apart from everyone else I know because you do things like this."

Out of habit, Fareeha looked away at the feeling of warmth in her face. "Things like what?"

"Accepting me as I am rather than comparing me to an expectation. To be honest, I often find myself frustrated with my public image because so many people fail to do that."

"What's wrong with it? I can only admit it now that I know that I was wrong, but the crowds of people desperate for your attention gave me the feeling that I'd never have a chance with you."

Angela blushed as she placed yet another kiss on Fareeha's cheek. _I do not believe that I will ever tire of doing that._ "Between my winged armor and my reputation as a healer and pacifist, people often have a false impression of me...although, to be honest, this is a problem that goes much farther back than my being known as Mercy. I believe that they are disappointed when their dreams meet reality. My opinions can be strongly worded at times. I also have a habit of being rather stubborn when someone attempts to change my position on a matter...and, well..." Her expression became meek as she looked at the glass in her hand. "I know that it is not a good thing, but I have a habit of turning to a bottle when things become exceptionally difficult."

Much to Angela's surprise, Fareeha merely shrugged. "I can't say that I don't worry when you phrase it that way. Still, you seem to have a handle on it so I can't really call it a bad thing, either."

Overcome with newfound appreciation for Fareeha, Angela leaned in closer and brought their lips together. Fareeha's mind nearly went blank between the surprise and the intensity of Angela's kiss, though the moment was marred slightly by a small amount of worry at the feeling that she was missing something important. Trapped between the sensations, she was too overwhelmed to consider the matter until a few seconds after Angela pulled away and had started to speak. "I hate to think how much of my life has gone to waste trying to be the perfect person for someone else."

"For who?" Fareeha's concerns dissipated instantly in the face of confusion and annoyance at the thought that anyone would make Angela feel as though she had to change anything about herself.

"Nearly everyone I've ever met." Angela took another sip of the wine and pressed her face against Fareeha's shoulder. "It...it is time. How do I begin this?" Searching for the words to begin, Angela thought back to how Fareeha's story started. She repressed the urge to cringe when she remembered hearing quite so many details about the time she spent with Samia. As much as she hated it, though, she couldn't deny that the details of the story were important as they made her feel as though she was able to understand Fareeha's thoughts and feelings. She wasn't likely to have intended to go into quite so much detail as much as she was likely to have been trying to ensure that she wasn't leaving out anything important, but Angela was still grateful for it even if it had been unintentional. She thought about her own story and how it involved admitting that she had made at least one catastrophic mistake. She had no desire to avoid taking responsibility for it, but she still hoped that, if Fareeha properly understood her thoughts and feelings at the time, she would be willing to forgive the grave error in judgement.

She glanced at the tablet in Fareeha's lap in her frustration and was struck by unexpected inspiration. She didn't have any experience with thinking through music rather than words; this evening was the first time that she could clearly remember words alone failing her. Despite the considerable number of languages she spoke, not a single word from any of them seemed to suffice in her mind. Just as she was growing frustrated with herself, a song occurred to her that she used to listen to when she was younger. She had heard it by chance once, but the words resonated with her before she even knew enough English to appreciate it fully. She handed the wine glass to Fareeha and picked up the tablet, setting to work searching through the names of artists. _It is such an obscure song, but if anyone would have it..._ Her eyes lit up as she found the familiar name of both the artist and the song.

" _Ich wusste es!_ "

"W—what?"

She merely smiled at Fareeha as she excitedly set the song to play. (2) As the somber sound of a lone guitar began to play, however, Angela's expression slowly went dim. In an instant, she was taken back to a time when she was still considering universities and daydreaming about where her life would lead her. Her thoughts were all aimed at the future, but that was largely because she was already excited to leave her past behind. Though it was a painful thought, she was pleased to have finally found the words that eluded her.

"And here I thought that I was good at this." Fareeha smiled, amazed that Angela was aware of such an old song.

"Thank you for the compliment, love, but I am certain that I just got lucky. I will be relying on you from here."

Fareeha went slightly more tense as Angela handed the tablet back to her and, after another sip, the wine glass. She quickly recalled every song she could remember that had lyrics related to the ones she was currently hearing and readied herself to search for the next song. _I have to be there for her the same way that she was there for me. I don't know how to make her laugh, but I can at least do this._

Angela took a moment to force her nerves to calm before she started speaking again. "I suppose it started when I was nearing my upper secondary graduation. It was much for me as it was with you around that age, unable to completely avoid thinking about what my life was missing. I was not lonesome, exactly, but I was definitely missing something. The main difference is that I knew exactly what it was."

Two decades earlier, Angela was excited to consider the prospect of moving on to university. She was filled with dreams of becoming a doctor and changing the world for the better, hoping to one day make it the center of her life. Though she never admitted it to herself, as much as she wanted to make that dream a reality, it was a second choice of sorts. She could never explain why, but as far back as she could remember she had a desire to make a single person the center of her life even more than the entire world. There was never any logic behind the desire; it was just what she saw as part of her life's natural progression. It was her intention to find one person to live for above all else. The few times she gave a voice to such an intention, however, it was always met with skepticism if not outright contempt. She was often accused of making a servant of herself, lowering herself beneath her true potential or risking throwing away a promising future for the sake of someone that would most certainly only be using her. This was most often followed by a discussion about the path that her future should take, eventually causing her to give up on mentioning the matter entirely. No one ever seemed to be able to understand that it was her own will to give her life to someone, or that she was obviously going to be cautious in choosing a person to properly handle such an important responsibility. They only seemed to care about her potential and, somehow, always missed the fact that they were imposing their wills on her at the same time that they accused some person from the future that had yet to be determined of doing the same. Though it angered her to no end, she always agreed and brooded in silence. Her desire to make others happy always seemed to conflict with her own. The desires of others always seemed to win the day.

She never liked to admit to it, but Angela's concerns about herself played a significant role in her decision to not be more vocal about the matter. Despite her frustration with the demands people placed on her, she always grew depressed when she found herself admitting that her chances of finding such a person seemed bleak at best. She often felt awkward and out of place as a child and she hoped she would one day outgrow it as though she were a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. As she found herself quickly becoming an adult, however, she found herself gradually giving up on the hope. She had no idea how to attract someone and hardly any experience doing as much as speaking with someone she didn't already know personally. Her parents, professors and friends were the only people she spoke to regularly; the thought of adding to that list filled her with an inexplicable sense of dread. Her parents and professors were constantly insisting that she not change anything about herself for fear that her future would be derailed. Her friends were little help to her, if any. Her school was a small private institution focused on pushing students to greatness, so it was little surprise that they seemed to be of a similar mind, always focused on studying and making the right personal and business connections above all else. Nothing ever conflicted with their ambitions, including each other. Angela sat at home many nights throughout her life after plans had been broken in favor of being invited to a parent's social gathering with their business contacts or a need to study following unexpectedly low marks on an exam. As they grew older and drew nearer to graduation, the problem persisted until they had very nearly lost touch with each other despite seeing one another on a daily basis.

In a moment of desperation when facing yet another unexpected night at home alone, she was frustrated enough to put her fear of people outside of her small social circle aside long enough to consider reaching out to some of them, but she dismissed the thought nearly as quickly as she had begun to think about it. She couldn't deny that her inability to connect with others wasn't entirely her fault as it had some basis in experience. She had found herself in the company of strangers on occasion before and, if only out of curiosity, attempted to speak with them. Much of her nervousness around people she didn't know was the result of the way they reacted to her when she started to open up to them. She was filled with ambition and thoughts of greatness, even at a young age. Most people outside of her family and her school didn't seem to understand them. She spoke of healing the world and they looked at her as though she was speaking nonsense. It was as though they couldn't imagine a world in which such a thing was even possible.

"They probably can't." Angela found herself admitting to her thoughts when a professor held her after class to lecture her one day after seeing that she was distracted during his lesson. "They're small people with small minds and aren't likely to ever consider that someone can do something beyond their own capabilities. Honestly, even without natural talent, they could likely do far better for themselves if they would put forth the effort. That's what sets you apart, Miss Ziegler. You have both talent and work ethic. You should stop wasting your time worrying about those that have neither. They will undoubtedly think nothing of letting their own weaknesses and insignificance keep you from achieving greatness yourself."

Again, Angela found herself silently agreeing while thinking every insult that she could remember. She couldn't argue that he was right, but as with everyone else she knew, his refusal to acknowledge her desires infuriated her. _He could at least make the attempt to help me find better friends rather than just telling me to not bother making any._

"You have an exam coming up in a little less than a week. Your time would be far better spent preparing for it than concerning yourself with the dregs of society, especially considering that they'll no doubt be troubling you anyway in a few years' time when they come scratching at your door and begging you for aid...assuming your studies proceed as planned, of course. Surely you agree."

"Yes, professor." _Deine Mutter geht in der Stadt huren!_

"Excellent! Speaking of which, be sure to focus on the last two chapters. Remember that they will be the focus of the exam. You have exceeded expectations and remain near the top of your class, but I hope to see you take the lead after this. I'm certain that you're up to the task. To think that little Angela Ziegler would graduate as valedictorian! I'm sure that you'll remember me in your speech!"

"Of course, professor." _Verpiss dich._

Though one more of these conversations was behind her, Angela didn't feel in any way relieved by the thought. It was merely one of what felt like scores of such one-sided exchanges with no end in sight aside from graduation. Though it was difficult for her to think of it as anything other than going from one school to the next, she remained hopeful that the change would be significant. Finally free of the watchful eyes of her parents and professors, she couldn't bring herself to entirely give up the hope that the day for her to emerge from her cocoon would still come.

As Angela suddenly went quiet while thinking of her past hopes of a brighter future, Fareeha watched her closely, looking for any sign of distress. Though she didn't look particularly troubled, she didn't look at all pleased to find herself remembering her past. When Angela stopped speaking for a moment and glanced at the tablet with a wistful look, Fareeha's mind raced to think of a song that would be appropriate. Though she had never been in exactly the same position, it wasn't at all difficult for her to imagine the feeling of being trapped in such a small place that was determined to remain closed off from the rest of the world. She was surprised to find herself thinking of Samia, who had years earlier resigned herself to such a fate. _Too bad she isn't as strong as Angela. She may have been able to do better for herself than deception and regret._ Inspired by the thought, she quickly searched through the list of songs and found one in particular that she thought would help. As she set it to play, (3) she turned to Angela while repressing the hopeful expression she could feel taking shape on her face. Angela listened intently, but looked confused as she turned the tablet toward herself and pulled up the lyrics. After a moment of reading, realization dawned on her. She smiled up at Fareeha as she leaned against her shoulder.

"I was right to trust you with this."

Feeling relieved, Fareeha sighed and kissed the top of Angela's head. "I had a feeling that this might do. I can imagine that it must have been...well, difficult, for lack of a better word."

"It was. Spending so many years bending to the will of others made me...well, you put it best earlier. I was hollow and reckless. Worse than that, I was desperate for someone to share my life with. It could have been far worse, but it certainly did not bode well for my future."

"How so?" Fareeha attempted to keep her voice steady, but she couldn't completely rid herself of a sense of foreboding.

"It turned out that I was right. On entering university, I found that I had changed significantly, although not without great effort on my part. As graduation had drawn near, I was studying poise and fashion as much as my textbooks. I had to keep it a secret, though." Angela laughed as she remembered the late nights she spent properly walking in high heels and memorizing the names of designers only after she was certain that her parents had gone to bed. "Studying always came easy to me and I could easily balance my interests and my obligations in school, but nobody ever seemed to be willing to trust me to do so. At any rate, I eventually graduated and was on my way to university with a completely new attitude and confidence with which I was not familiar when I found myself faced with a surprising number of interested stares. Admittedly, I did not expect it to go quite so well. I suppose that is why it caused so much trouble when I began accepting as many invitations to dates as my schedule would allow. I never had anyone express such an interest in me before, let alone so many that I had to refuse requests to share my company. It never once occurred to me in my preparation that I would have to be careful in choosing someone to spend time with, and I was too happy with the idea that someone had taken an interest in me to give it any thought when the time had finally come."

The expression that manifested in Angela's features instantly reminded Fareeha of her own troubles when coming to a part of the story that was particularly difficult to tell. Unable to determine a course of action that seemed like a particularly wise one, she settled for keeping the conversation moving. _I shouldn't stop her, but at the very least she shouldn't have to suffer for long._

"I take it that one of them was a problem?"

Angela responded with a bitter laugh. " _All_ of them were problems, just different kinds of problems that I had never experienced before. Generally speaking, they were not much different from the people that I had left behind. They were obsessed with making the right connections with the right people. All else was secondary, including deciding who was worthy of their affection. None would suit them if they did not fit their ideas of an ideal life...and their ideal lives were troubling at best. They measured their success in life by the way people viewed them above the quality of their work or their own satisfaction with it. A number of them were quick to profess their love, but only after hearing of my family's wealth and prestige and the glowing letters of recommendation that had been written for me when I was choosing a place to study. The only significant difference was that making the right connections was not all that they wanted from me."

Fareeha thought about what she must have meant, then immediately regretted wondering. Her stomach turned as she remembered the crowd waiting outside of the park earlier that day and the number of them that had likely been driven there by lust more than anything else. It wasn't hard for her to imagine such a desire when thinking of someone as beautiful as Angela, but to think that anyone would lower her value to serving such a simple purpose compared to everything she had to offer made Fareeha's blood boil. In an attempt to distract herself from her thoughts before Angela picked up on the sudden shift in her mood, she picked up the tablet and started scrolling through songs before settling on one in particular. (4) She pressed play and decided to use the time to calm herself as Angela listened to the words. After the song ended, she gave another bitter laugh.

"Yes, that is exactly how it was. For a moment, I thought things were taking a turn for the better with Audrey."

"Audrey?"

Fareeha tried to stop the anger from taking root, but it was already too late. She knew that she had at least one enemy in this story, but now there was a name to give her vague thought a definite form. She took the wine glass and drained it, stunning Angela into silence for a moment before she collected herself and reached out to the bottle to refill it. She took a drink before handing it to Fareeha and settling back into her comfortable spot next to her. She took a moment to work up the courage to bring the memory to mind before she continued speaking.

"Audrey was also studying medicine, so she seemed to be a natural match for me. I was filled with far more optimism than was warranted by the situation, so it was difficult for me to stop myself from throwing myself into the relationship with everything I had. I was determined to make it work, though it was difficult. Impossible, really."

"How so?" Fareeha had just barely remembered to unclench her teeth before asking.

"She was much like the people that I had always known, but far more like my parents and professors than any student. She was always focused on rules and what was proper above all else. She was the worst possible match for someone like myself, really, especially back then. As I said, I was hollow and reckless. When my parents were killed...well, I only got worse. It was as though a dam had burst. Everything that I normally held in came rushing out. I would lash out at the slightest provocation and spoke my mind at every turn without regard for what was coming from my mouth."

"That doesn't seem so bad."

Angela smiled and wrapped her arms around Fareeha as she leaned on her shoulder again. "Perhaps not, but in my little world, such things were unheard of...and always uncalled for, no matter the circumstances. I did not seem to be able to go an hour without angering her in private or humiliating her in public. I had hoped that she would be understanding, especially knowing what I was going through at the time. She attended my parents' funeral with me, after all. I was convinced at the time that she was concerned for me and went to support me, but if I am honest with myself, she was merely doing her duty."

" _Merely?"_ Though Fareeha had far more to say, she forced herself into silence when her first word came out more forcefully than she had intended.

"She was my girlfriend. She was also attempting to make a good impression."

"Then why did she stay with you?"

"Again, duty. I believe she was also determined to...change me."

Angela paused, seemingly lost for the words to continue. Fareeha, sensing something was wrong but not able to think of a song that seemed appropriate, caught sight of Angela's sideways glance toward the wine glass in her hand and wasted no time handing it to her. She accepted the glass, though she couldn't help feeling slightly guilty even at the same time that she was feeling appreciative of Fareeha when she thought of the complications caused by giving in to her own desires in the past. It gave her a sense of peace that she'd never known before that night to have someone that was willing to indulge her, but lost in her memories, she couldn't fully appreciate it. Forcing the thought away for the sake of continuing the story, she took another sip and steeled herself against the pain caused by completing her thought.

"Audrey was always the type to make things that she felt were under her control work as she intended at any cost. I was likely the first challenge that she had ever experienced that left her defeated."

"It sounds as though the experience was long overdue."

Despite being riddled with guilt, Angela couldn't help laughing. "I agree, although I try to not hold it against her. It was surely second nature to her by that point in life and she was not likely to have had the opportunity to learn anything that contradicted her view of the world before she met me."

"So what was her complaint? That you had a mind of your own?"

"Mostly, although there were other things. With the stress of studying, the loss of my parents and the fact that our relationship was clearly existing on borrowed time...I had developed an appreciation of the bottle. My tastes were relatively expensive and a sufficiently large price tag was enough to keep most around me from thinking anything of it long enough to consider it a problem, but she was too close to me to not know better. Also...there was one other problem toward the end. She said that I...have a dirty mind. It bothered her."

"Was she too good for _that_ , too?"

"Again, I try to not think too harshly of her for it. She led a sheltered life as I had. She was just not quite as rebellious. More than that, I had experiences after arriving at university that she had yet to take herself away from her books long enough to have. I did not see it that way at the time, however. I only saw rejection. In my desperation to somehow make things work between us, I finally demanded an explanation. She...did not respond well."

"What did she say?"

"She said, 'you might be sweet and innocent on the outside, but you have a real dark side, don't you?' Being who I was, I could only respond with the first thing thought that came to mind. 'Everyone has a dark side, and I am no exception. I do, however, make better use of mine than most.' "

Though she couldn't imagine Angela in such a heated discussion about anything other than pacifism, Fareeha was proud of her. "So what did she have to say to that?"

"Nothing. She simply walked away. That was the last thing I ever said to her." As her words hung in the air, she saw something dark in Fareeha's expression that startled her. For the sake of removing it more than anything else, Angela pressed on. "She did not call me again. As the days passed and I realized that the call would never come, I resolved to not wait long before moving on. I suppose that I had become quite cold by that point after suffering one loss too many. It is why I believe that I was the cause of much of my own troubles. After everything I had done and all of the changes I had gone through, that was the first time that I ever gave serious thought to the possibility that my troubles were of my own making."

At that moment, a song immediately came to Fareeha's mind. It was something that she often listened to after being reprimanded for conduct that conflicted with one of her superiors' opinion of what was proper. She had trouble committing to the idea of playing it, however; supporting the idea that Angela could in any way be held responsible for her experiences filled Fareeha with rage, but she was directing it at herself this time. Noticing that her hand was trembling in her effort to keep her anger under control, she reminded herself that the most important thing at the moment was to help Angela get through her story. As she pressed play, she made a mental note of the moment. _I will help you get through the story now, but that doesn't mean that I won't try to prove you wrong later._ She set the song to play (5) and leaned back against the sofa, choosing to focus on the feeling of Angela leaning against her shoulder rather than her own thoughts.

Angela tried to focus on the words as they sped past her. Quickly giving up on it, she turned the tablet toward herself and again pulled up the lyrics. She smiled sadly as she took in the words, then waited for the song to end before playing it again.

"That is exactly right, as always. Honestly, I just wanted for someone to understand. That she did not was not a surprise, but it hurt and I could not entirely ignore it. By the time I had thrown myself into another relationship, I was convinced that my failure to achieve my goal of finding someone special was entirely my fault. I eventually learned better, but it was much later. At the time, the lesson was lost on me."

Fareeha ground her teeth in both her frustration and her desire to keep it hidden. The thought that Angela could find herself to blame for someone else's lack of understanding was absurd. The thought that anyone would deliberately cause her to feel that way in an attempt to turn her into someone else was unforgivable. _If I ever see that bitch, I'll kill her twice._ She was pulled from her thoughts when Angela gave a dejected sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"The rest of the story. It is by far the worst of it as the damage done was my own fault. I...may need a minute."

Fareeha was suddenly quite aware that listening to such a story was far more difficult than she had imagined; it was no easier than having to tell it. Anger boiled inside of her with no way to be released as she thought of a seemingly endless sea of people without names or faces that deserved to feel that anger directed at them, undoubtedly feeling secure in the knowledge that their anonymity protected them from such a fate. The only thought that broke through the rage inside of her was that it was ridiculous to think that they had any way of knowing the fate that they were so fortunate to be escaping. Even Audrey, whose name was now burned into Fareeha's mind, couldn't have any satisfying measure of retribution leveled at her. Unsatisfied but slowly calming, Fareeha kissed the top of Angela's head again, then took the wine glass and drained it before leaning forward to take the bottle of Eiswein out of the bucket. She found herself hoping that there was more somewhere just in case it became necessary; with the worst still yet to come, she couldn't avoid worrying that they may need it. She was determined to get through this and, more importantly, to get through it together.

"Take all the time you need. I won't be going anywhere, I promise."


	11. History Lesson (Angela's Final Lecture)

_Author's note: I'm pleased to present the final chapter of Angela's history...for the moment, at least. I can never be entirely certain what turns this story will take. It was a hard path to walk, but I still believe that it will be important in the future. Now that it's done, though, I'll admittedly be glad to get the story moving along again. I'm already looking forward to posting on Monday morning._

 _Before I get to it, though, I want to take a moment and send a huge thank you to PotatoChibs for some amazing artwork depicting scenes from the last few chapters. I urge everyone to look it up on Twitter (username Chibikochibs; they're the pictures posted on 17 and 21 July). I regret having to admit that it took me a good ten minutes to calm down when I saw each of them. I can't even describe the feeling of looking at a picture and seeing the scenes from the story the same way I had them pictured in my mind when I wrote them. The picture from 21 July actually inspired me in the middle of a tough spot while editing this chapter for publishing. Thank you again!_

 _1\. "Eros" by Late Night Alumni_

 _2\. "In the Arms of Sleep" by Smashing Pumpkins_

 _3\. "It's Too Late" by The Streets_

As Fareeha settled back into her seat on the sofa, she noticed Angela giving the tablet another sideways glance. Seeing her look of frustration, it wasn't hard to guess what she was thinking. Determining what she wanted to say, however, was another matter entirely. Angela seemed to be capable of reading her mind at times; it irritated her that she wasn't able to return the favor. She would have loved more than anything to impress Angela by being able to flawlessly interpret her feelings through nothing more than an expression and context, but it seemed to Fareeha that it was more important to get it right than to show off. Reminding herself that this moment was about Angela above all else, she proceeded cautiously with a note of nervousness in her voice.

"What are you thinking?"

"I am just regretting that I did not learn my lesson in time to make a difference. I was lost in pursuing my desires if only out of spite. Some measure of self control would not have saved any of these relationships, but they could have prevented my...failures."

Angela's final word hit Fareeha hard. She couldn't deny that she was biased and cared for Angela's feelings above all else, but to think of herself as a failure in any respect seemed unnecessarily harsh. It pained her to support such an idea as much as it had earlier, but she could find no other way to help her other than to assist in processing her thoughts. She thought for a moment and was surprised to find herself thinking of Samia again. She couldn't help noticing that, despite the pain that such a thing had caused her only hours earlier, it was already noticeably easier to do only because of the time that she had spent talking about it with Angela. The thought was still painful, but simply having someone willing to listen to her tell her story was somehow enough to be able to think back without feeling paralyzed by regret and nausea. Spurred on by the thought that Angela may be able to soon do the same, she thought of a song that she had often played when trying to determine the true nature of her relationship with Samia. As she played it (1), she looked at Angela apprehensively from the corner of her eye.

Angela took a minute to take in the lyrics before smiling weakly. "Are you actually reading my thoughts?"

Fareeha breathed a sigh of relief before she could stop herself, earning a raised eyebrow from Angela that left her feeling a little embarrassed. "I was just...well, hoping that this would help."

"I would not worry about that, love. You seem to have a natural talent for this. As always, you are exactly right. This is how my relationships always felt, especially as I found myself in more of them. For me, they were always built on desire above all else. That they did not last is no surprise to me now that I understand this." She took a moment to think before continuing. "I do not believe that I have ever truly considered it before, but I believe that this was why I placed so much faith in my relationship with Julia."

"Julia?" Fareeha's body went tense before she could stop herself on hearing another name that gave substance to her vague thoughts of people she already considered enemies.

"It was long after I had parted ways with Audrey. She was...the mistake I mentioned making earlier. I had gone through several more relationships by that point and was beginning to grow weary of the struggle. I was looking for some measure of peace and seemed to find it quite unexpectedly just as I was beginning to consider giving up on it all. I was desperate to make it work somehow...more than ever before. It felt as though it were my last chance to find that person I had always dreamed of. I put too much of myself into it and was determined to make her feel the same as I did."

"Is that the mistake you made?"

Angela gave an uncharacteristically bitter smile. "I wish that were the extent of it. I am certain that such a thing would not have kept me up quite so many nights. It is, however, the first of my errors in judgement."

Sensing that the moment Angela had been dreading was upon them, Fareeha's mind raced to think of a song that would both suit Angela's thoughts and calm her. She didn't wait for a cue to start scrolling through the songs on the tablet and, after a minute, start playing another song. (2) As Angela listened, she smiled sadly. Just as Fareeha was beginning to regret her decision, Angela seemed to relax and settle into her spot against Fareeha's shoulder as she reached out for the wine glass again.

"Perfect as always. I once again found myself struggling to maintain a relationship that was going nowhere...at least, that was how it seemed to me at the time. It was not that I had not learned my lesson from trying to force my relationship with Audrey to succeed, but...more like I had misinterpreted it."

"How so?"

"I was angry and hurt, and that taught me to be cautious. I was still as determined as ever to find a relationship and put everything I had into it, but I had learned that when someone was not good for me, I should leave them be rather than force things to work out. The problem is that I had not learned when to _not_ to leave someone."

It was nearly two years after her relationship with Audrey that Angela met Julia when her medical training had finally begun in earnest. As they were both studying to become doctors, it was impossible for them to not see each other on nearly a daily basis. Angela had long since perfected pretending that she didn't notice Audrey when they passed each other, though it was still painful every time. Angela often found herself thinking of a wound that wasn't allowed to heal, constantly being reopened every time it had begun to seal itself. It was difficult enough for her to put her feelings for Audrey aside, but the constant whispers that ceased when she entered a room complicated matters further. Audrey never had much of a social circle before she started dating Angela, but she found herself with no shortage of interested parties once she was romantically involved with one of the best known students at their university. Once the relationship started, she was inundated with questions about Angela. Ending the relationship only brought more questions and, judging by the sideways glances and constant whispers that followed their involvement, Angela could only assume that Audrey was all too eager to tell her side of the story to anyone that would listen.

Nobody that followed Angela would dare give up the fame that came with being associated with her, but their attitudes toward her had clearly changed for the worse. They only seemed to be interested in hearing stories of drunken rampages and scores of one-night encounters that they were certain existed without ever asking. Worse than that, they would seem disappointed by Angela's claims to the contrary if not outright refusing to believe them. She knew that, even in university, they lived in a small world with lives planned from birth. People were desperate to live vicariously through anyone that dared to stray from the beaten path. Still, it did nothing to ease the pain caused by the incessant gossip or keep her from constantly thinking of Audrey when she thought about its source. Knowing Audrey's feelings about her lack of inhibition, it was easy enough to guess that a strongly worded opinion of the matter was all it took to give life to the rumors spreading about her. Once those kinds of rumors start to spread, it's only ever a matter of time before they take on a life of their own and grow into something far worse.

Angela had responded to both the end of her relationship with Audrey and the rumors starting to spread by attempting to ignore them and throwing herself into another relationship, but it caused more problems than it solved. As new relationships failed in rapid succession and she maintained her new stance on not remaining idle long enough to feel the loss, people saw her moving on from one lover to the next and wasted no time in confirming their suspicions that they so desperately needed to believe to be true. By the time Angela noticed that she was aiding them in believing in her lack of morals, the damage had long since been done. Unable to escape the realization that simply moving on to someone new was doing nothing to close the wound in her heart, she found herself at a standstill with nothing but her studies to distract her from the thought. She decided to take time away from dating, telling herself that she needed to study more now that she was entering the next phase of her education. Though it had worked for her before she entered university, it wasn't enough to keep her mind at peace now that she was still continuously being approached in spite of her sudden lack of interest in romance. Worse was the difference that she saw in the way she was being approached. While it was often obvious that lust was the driving force behind someone's interest in her, it was with increasing frequency that pretense was foregone entirely, even when someone was introducing themselves to her for the first time.

As the problem persisted and continued to worsen along with the rumors, Angela found herself coming to the realization that her own actions had brought about much of it. Though the thought had occurred to her when she first broke up with Audrey, she had attempted to bury it in her staunch refusal to give in to the demands being made of her to be quiet and docile. Now seeing that this refusal had helped to give life to the latest of her worries, she was unable to deny the possibility any longer. Seeing nothing to do for it other than ignore it as best she could, she settled into an uncomfortable routine of staying in at night and giving the same practiced refusal every time she was approached. It made her feel ill when she realized that she had not only become the same person she was before she started at university, but that she had chosen to do so. It made her blood boil to think that her parents and professors may have been right all along, but no matter how much effort she put into it, she couldn't think of a way out other than to hope that, once she left university and found herself in a new world, things would somehow change for the better.

 _It really is just like before._

As she was in the library one day and studying for the first exam of the term, Angela was approached by an unusually persistent young man that had a reputation for approaching romantic entanglement as a conquest of sorts. Despite having exhausted her well rehearsed lines of refusal, he insisted on convincing her to allow him to take her out for an evening. Angela found herself disgusted by his complete lack of polite pretense, significantly worse than anyone that had recently invited her out to an evening that always seemed to involve a hotel. _He has not even mentioned dinner._ As she gave up on the matter and stood to leave, she was frozen in place by a final desperate attempt to convince her to change her mind.

"Come on...you don't need to pretend to be shy with me. I already know this isn't anything new for you, you know. It's just one more for the list, right?"

A sound much like an exploding firecracker echoed throughout the library, drawing the attention of everyone not already studying the exchange and taking mental notes to relay to others later. All eyes were on Angela as she cursed loudly before storming out of the library, then went back to the young man who was dumbstruck as he stood there, still staring at the spot where Angela had been standing with an incredulous expression. Looks of confusion turned to recognition as they took in the bright red palm-sized welt on the side of his face. As most began chatting excitedly by this most recent development, one girl quickly rose from her table and chased Angela out of the library.

"Angela? Angela!" She jumped when Angela turned on her heel to meet the voice attempting to call her attention, ready to level more hostility at anyone that was undoubtedly looking for more information to add to the story that they were preparing to share.

" _What?"_

"I—I just...wanted...to make sure...to see if you were a—alright...I mean..."

Angela's anger faltered as she took in the girl in front of her. She had seen her regularly since the new term started, but had never spoken with her before. She was quiet and kept to herself, apparently uniterested in making friends or spreading rumors. As she was never a romantic interest or one of the people taking an unhealthy interest in her life, Angela had never thought about her much before that moment. Now that she was thinking about it, though, someone that had such little interest in even talking to anyone seemed unlikely to be looking for fuel for gossip and was likely genuinely concerned. In spite of that, she was now speaking just barely above a whisper, still trying desperately to explain her true intentions. Torn between feeling grateful for her concern and ashamed for having misjudged her, Angela waited politely for a moment to speak.

"...he was just being so rude! I w—wanted to say something, but I...I mean, I couldn't..."

"It is alright...really. I am sorry that I yelled at you." Sensing that the stammered explanation wasn't likely to end anytime soon, Angela interrupted as politely as she could. "You are Julia, are you not?"

"Y—yes! I am! I didn't think...well, that you knew who I was."

"We see each other every day. Why would I not know who you are?"

"I—I mean, we've never spoken before, so...I mean, you have so many friends and you always seem...well, that is to say..." Julia's voice trailed off as she gave up on completing her thought.

Angela took a moment to think about what Julia must have been trying to say. It was never before that moment that she realized how absorbed she had been in her dealings with the people in her social circle up to that point. Even as her social life deteriorated, she was doing all she could to fall into her studies solely as a means of not obsessing over it. To anyone outside of her social circle, it surely must have seemed that she had no other interests. Again, Angela found herself feeling ashamed.

"I certainly noticed you before. I regret not having spoken to you before now."

Julia smiled as her face almost immediately turned a deep scarlet. Angela couldn't help laughing; she was unbelievably adorable. Taking a moment to finally consider the girl in front of her, she noticed that everything about her seemed small and cute. She fidgeted nervously, her slender frame trembling ever so slightly as she found herself under Angela's gaze. She only occasionally looked up at her to ensure that she was still being watched as she struggled to form a coherent sentence to keep the conversation going. Though there wasn't much of a difference in height between the two of them, Angela was surprised to find herself talking to someone shorter than she was. Even in heels, she was usually at eye level with the people around her. Something about looking down slightly to meet Julia's gaze added to her adorable appearance. She looked up with large, round brown eyes that seemed to be filled with awe, seemingly unable to stop herself from fussing with her short brown hair, pushing it behind her ear only to change her mind about it seconds later. Though Angela was enjoying the thought that someone would be so nervous about talking to her, she didn't like the thought that she was making someone uncomfortable.

"Perhaps we could go somewhere and sit down? I am feeling a bit exhausted after that ordeal." Though she had only said it as an excuse to keep the conversation going, remembering the incident in the library did, in fact, leave her feeling suddenly robbed of her strength.

"O—of course!" Julia bounced unconsciously as she stammered her reply, forgetting her attempts to keep calm only a moment earlier.

As they walked outside and found a bench in one of the university's courtyards, Julia chatted away about how much she hated the young man and how happy it made her that Angela had slapped him. Even though she looked excited about speaking at length, she was still quiet, speaking barely loudly enough to be heard. Angela wondered if she hadn't misjudged her again when she assumed that the quiet and nervous speech was a result of having been frightened.

"I-I wish you had seen the look on his face! I don't think he's ever had anyone tell him 'no' before! He looked like he couldn't figure out where he was or how he'd gotten there."

"He likely could not figure it out. I do not know him personally, but I know of him. He is certainly accustomed to getting his way. I had a bad feeling when I saw him coming toward me."

"I see why you don't like men."

"What do you mean?"

"I—I mean, I just see now why you only date girls."

Angela laughed, never having considered the thought before and amused to see how someone might come to such a conclusion. Though she had accepted invitations to evenings out from many that had offered, her only relationships of any considerable length had been with women. "That is not entirely accurate. That does seem to be how it tends to happen, though."

She could only smile at the look of surprise that had quickly turned to one of relief. For a moment, Angela wondered if Julia happened to be another of her admirers. It was a pleasant thought that someone so far removed from most of the people she knew might have taken an interest in her. She was torn from the thought as a small group of friends glanced in their direction with curious expressions. It wasn't hard to imagine what they were thinking, with Julia's reputation of not having many acquaintances and Angela's reputation of having far too many. As they started speaking to each other in hushed tones once they were sure they were out of earshot, Angela felt her insides go cold.

"I do not look forward to hearing this story again tomorrow."

"T—tomorrow? What do you—" Julia stopped herself when she thought of the rumors that she'd heard about Angela in spite of her attempts to remain separated from them. "Oh...well, there isn't really much that can be done about that. I mean, people are going to talk. You just happen to be the most interesting thing to them at the moment. It'll pass; besides, people that really know you know better. People...like me."

Angela appreciated the vote of confidence, though she was not at all assured. "I wish I could be as certain as you are, but these rumors have been circulating for a long time and show no signs of dying out anytime soon."

"T—they will! Nobody likes talking about the same thing forever. If you don't give any attention to what they're saying, they'll get sick of adding fuel to the fire on their own and move on to something more interesting."

In all of the time that Angela found herself feeling trapped in this seemingly endless cycle of refusing to care about people's opinions and then being overwhelmed by them, it had never once occurred to her that there might be an end to it short of leaving and going somewhere else. It was difficult to get her hopes up for fear of having them crushed again, but it was a relief to think that hope wasn't yet lost entirely. "Thank you, Julia...I had never considered that before. I needed to hear it. No one else has ever spoken to me about it for a reason other than keeping it going."

"N—no problem! I'm glad to help! I can't believe that anyone would care so much about spreading rumors that they wouldn't even try to help you find a way out of them! They sound like terrible friends—" Julia brought a hand to her mouth in surprise, looking mortified. "I—I'm sorry...I shouldn't speak badly of your friends."

Angela could only laugh at the reaction. "No, do not be sorry. I am beginning to think that you are right."

Julia didn't bother trying to hide her relief. She remained silent for a moment, appearing to be working up the courage to say something. "I know how hard it can be...dealing with people like that, I mean. That's why I don't talk to many of them since I came to university. U—um, if you ever want to talk about it..."

"To be honest, the only thing I want at this point is to forget it all." Angela responded quickly, but noticing the look of disappointment on Julia's face, she realized that she'd overlooked an invitation to simply share her company a little longer. "I would not be opposed to talking of other things, however."

"R—really? With me?" Julia seemed to need a moment to be sure of what she was hearing, causing Angela to laugh again. The more she thought about it, the more Julia seemed unbearably cute.

"Yes, of course. Are you free tomorrow?"

"Ye—no...no." Julia looked down with an expression of dismay that caused Angela to worry. In a moment of panic, she worried that Julia had reconsidered after seeing people whispering about them. "No, I have to study...for an exam, I mean. I really should be studying right now." Julia glanced down at her watch as though it had betrayed her.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Angela's smile slowly returned. "Do not worry about it. I should study, myself. How about Friday after the exam? We can celebrate putting it behind us."

"Y—yes! Of course! I'll go study now! I'll...I'll see you then!"

Julia jumped up with a start and started walking quickly in the direction of the library, stopping only to turn and wave goodbye. As she sat there and watched Julia walking away, Angela could only smile to herself, the thought of her upcoming evening suddenly making all other thoughts pale in comparison. Even the appearance of the young man from the library, who had finally managed to make his way out and wasted no time sending a harsh glare in Angela's direction, didn't quite register in Angela's mind as she thought about Julia. She was from the same little world that Angela had come to detest, but she was certainly different. Much like Audrey, she didn't appear to have any interest in attaining greatness for the sake of status and she certainly held no interest in gossip. She couldn't have been much different from Audrey in every other respect, however. She knew of the rumors surrounding Angela and, despite not having any interest in taking advantage of any opportunity they offered, she accepted Angela as she was. It wasn't a guarantee of a stable and healthy relationship, but it was certainly far more promising than any other possibility that had presented itself so far. Angela's mind drifted to fantasy, her hopes for a brighter future slowly being renewed. _She is different, like me. This could be the one._

As the days passed and the weekend drew closer, Angela was once again surrounded by incessant whispering and curious stares. Between the incident in the library and her sudden interest in Julia, someone entirely outside of her social circle, there was no end to the questions on people's minds. Though Angela was ashamed of herself for lashing out quite so violently, she found herself grateful that the bright red welt she'd left behind in the library seemed to make most people think better of approaching her directly, instead sending a delegated representative to inquire on the behalf of a group or waiting for those closest to her to ask and then relay the information to them. The practice seemed utterly ridiculous to her, reminding her of children in lower secondary that would run between classrooms and lunch tables with whatever bit of news they believed would keep everyone's attention on them for a moment. She was surprised to find that, at times, she couldn't bring herself to resent them fully because she was instead feeling a sense of pity. Though it was tiring, she didn't do anything to discourage the practice as it meant that she didn't have to deal with them nearly as often when most of them were afraid to approach her.

It was easier for her to get through a day repeating herself for its entirety when she didn't have to do it quite so many times, but Angela couldn't help noticing that the questions themselves seemed to become more frustrating as they decreased in frequency. It was easy to deflect baseless assumptions about herself, but hearing them made about Julia made her defensive and quick to anger. Julia was relatively unknown before meeting Angela, making her way through her days all but entirely unnoticed. Remembering what newfound fame did for Audrey made the thought of history's potentially repeating itself unbearable. It was hard to decide which was worse; seeing someone as sweet and innocent as Julia changed for the worse or the thought that, just as something good was finally coming her way, someone was set to sabotage it. _Julia...having them change Julia is far worse. I do not care what they do to me. I already do not expect any better of them._ Once again, she felt the now familiar thought that she was the cause of her own troubles creeping into her conscious thoughts. Determined to not allow any harm to come to Julia or anything that may develop between them, Angela quickly adopted a defensive stance whenever Julia came up in conversation. More than that, she was determined to make her stance clear to anyone that would dare inquire, particularly those that weren't pleased with her choosing Julia over a candidate of their own choosing.

The line of reasoning finally caused Angela's temper to get the better of her when someone asked, "why are you going out with someone like _her_? She's nothing like us!"

"I believe that you have answered your own question."

Though she was pleased to see the girl's face frozen in offended shock, she couldn't enjoy the moment fully in her irritation. _Honestly...they act as though I exist solely to entertain them._ As much as she hated the thought, she couldn't deny that they'd had plenty of time to get comfortable with the thought. By that point, she'd spent several years gladly talking with everyone that was willing to listen about her life and her adventures, things that most of them had only dreamed of doing while under the watchful gaze of parents and professors. Even then, most of them had their old habits too deeply ingrained to give in to their desires even now that they found themselves with a measure of freedom. Angela again felt a measure of pity for them in spite of her anger.

The few days leading up to Angela's date with Julia seemed as long to her as the time she had spent enduring people's endless curiosity since she had broken up with Audrey. Once word spread about her resentment toward her friends, the questions slowed to a trickle only to be replaced with cold glaring and more whispering than ever. Though curiosity led many to maintain contact while others refused to give up their position as one of Angela's friends in the event that her public image managed to turn itself around in the future, most of the calls she normally received had ceased to come by the end of the week. It was never easy to witness for herself how fickle people could be, but Angela couldn't bring herself to regret her decision. She had merely done what she always did and spoke her mind. The only thing that had changed was that the ones so eager to be entertained found nothing amusing about her opinion this time. More than that, while it was exhausting to feel the weight of everyone's stares, it was also decidedly easier to ignore them entirely when they weren't approaching her. _At least they are quiet._

On Friday evening, Julia arrived at Angela's apartment looking thoroughly harassed. She seemed nervous as she always did, but she also seemed to be relieved to have arrived, as though she had been attempting to outrun something. Though she already had an idea of what Julia must have been glad to leave behind, Angela couldn't help asking about it as she welcomed her in and took her coat.

"Julia...are you alright? You do not look well."

"I—I'm fine. It's just...it's been a long week." Seeing the look of despair that came in response, she quickly added, "t—the exam. I'm glad it's over."

Despite not being at all convinced by the hastily added words, Angela appreciated the attempt to ease her mind and decided against speaking of it further. She offered Julia a seat and told her that the dinner that she had been preparing would be finished soon. She took a moment to take in Julia's appearance when she was certain it would go unnoticed and couldn't help noticing the effort that she had put forth. Though Angela had been thinking of the evening as a date, she couldn't deny that their plans had been entirely casual and no words had passed between them to suggest that this had . Still, Julia didn't appear to have put any small amount of effort into getting ready. Far removed from the plain blouses and jeans that she normally wore, she had worn a sand-colored rib knit dress that flared out slightly at her slender hips. The long sleeves, portrait neckline and hemline that extended well past her mid-thigh gave her an air of modesty, and the brown leather ankle boots and matching jacket definitely gave her what would undoubtedly make for a casual appearance to anyone that didn't know her better. Angela was already regretting the simple blue jeans and white sweater that she had forced herself to wear for fear of showing her interest too early and coming across as being more startling than attractive.

Though Angela insisted that there was nothing for her to do but wait, Julia could only sit still for a minute before nervously making her way into the kitchen. Angela resisted the urge to laugh at the sight, worried that she would be misunderstood and appear to be mean-spirited. Julia looked nervous to the point of being ready to faint, but was too eager to start talking to wait any longer in the next room. The sight was cute to the point of being irresistible.

"W—what are you making? It smells good."

"Nothing special, really; it is only spinach lasagna and antipasto salad."

" _Only?_ How did you learn to cook like this?"

Angela thought back to her days before university, spent studying social graces as much as her textbooks. When she realized that being able to cook would serve her well by giving her an excuse to host dinner parties, she spared no effort in begging her parents to let her take lessons. "It is just something I picked up along the way." Angela turned back to the salad she was tossing before her embarrassment could be noticed. Something about hearing the response that she had spent so many months practicing once she'd started her cooking lessons finally coming out of her mouth was mortifying in the company of someone that took no interest in the artificial.

The evening seemed to pass in a blur for Angela as cooking gave way to eating and then conversation on the sofa in the living room, the conversation never once slowing. The only time Angela's attention was ever drawn away was when she thought of the bottles of wine that she kept chilled and waiting to be opened. Julia hadn't expressed any interest in drinking any of it, however, causing Angela to come to the conclusion that it was best to leave the matter be for fear of lending credence to the rumors that Julia refused to believe. She was glad that the thought had occurred to her as she never found an opportunity to miss the wine. Julia's interest in Angela seemed to know no limit; she inquired continuously, asking the simplest of questions and then waiting in a quiet awe as Angela answered at length. Having never had the chance to speak so much about herself surrounded by competition from others constantly seeking to do the same, Angela enjoyed being indulged to the point that it took her until long after they'd finished eating to realize that Julia hadn't said anything about herself the entire evening.

"I do believe that I have talked far more than my fair share. Tell me something about yourself."

"M—me? There's nothing to tell, really..."

"Come, now...surely there must be something."

Just as Julia was about to argue, Angela gave her a penetrating stare that made it apparent that she wouldn't give up easily. Sighing and immediately admitting defeat, she began talking about her few friends and her hobbies, sounding as though she was reading from a prepared list. Seeing that she was clearly horrified by the thought of talking about herself, Angela made a point of expressing interest in everything she mentioned and always asked for more information. It took time, but Julia eventually began to relax and speak comfortably, talking most about her ambition to become a doctor. Angela repressed a groan when she heard that it was her parents' idea. The situation was common to the point of being nauseating. She was pleasantly surprised to find, however, that the life that her parents had chosen seemed to actually suit her. Much like Angela, Julia had dreams of helping the less fortunate rather than seeking fame and fortune for herself, a detail that she was keeping from her parents until it was too late for them to protest. Angela struggled to maintain a measure of pretense as her interest was taken to a new level.

"You really are amazing, Julia. I do not believe I have ever met anyone quite like you."

"M—me? No...I'm not amazing. I'm just...me. T—to be honest, I was...I was thinking the same of you."

"You were?" As much as she hoped that Julia really did have some interest in her, refusing to get her hopes up too quickly left her unprepared to find that her suspicions seemed to have been confirmed.

"Of course! I've always admired you. You were fearless and beautiful, everything that I've always wanted to be. Y—you...excite me."

Angela had heard others say such things in the past, but for the first time, it didn't occur to her to question the honesty in the words. "I am honored, truly."

Just as earlier that week, Julia's face took on a look of concentration that suggested that she was attempting to gather the courage to say something. "W—would you ever...I mean...with someone like me, that is..."

Unable to contain herself any longer, Angela didn't wait for the words to finish before leaning in and gently kissing her. She managed enough self control to make it quick, lasting just long enough to answer the question she assumed was coming and make her stance on the matter clear. Much to her surprise, thinking of Audrey gave her pause long enough to consider her position. While Angela was determined to remain defiant and do as she pleased, she also couldn't deny that Julia was much like Audrey in that she was largely inexperienced in matters of romance. It wouldn't take much to push her too far too quickly. As much as Angela hated the thought of restraint, it was an insignificant matter when compared to the thought of making Julia uncomfortable. She was glad she'd reached that decision as the evening continued with a cautious but noticeably less tense atmosphere. Talking about themselves changed to talking about each other as they delicately danced around the topic of the romance that was beginning to take shape.

As the days turned into months, the newly formed relationship had found its form and settled into a comfortable routine of shared lunches and evenings out, most of the time between them simply spent talking peacefully about anything that came to mind. Though she made a strong effort early on to not confirm any suspicions that Julia may have had about her after hearing so much murmuring, Angela soon attempted to slowly introduce her true self to Julia in the hopes that she could be herself without fear of reprisal. Much to her surprise, Julia seemed to have been waiting for it. Thinking back, it seemed ridiculous to think that she could hide the parts of herself that Julia had first come to admire. As she settled into this new relationship, Angela was also pleased to see in time that Julia's prediction proved to be accurate. The rumors had died down considerably now that she appeared to be in a stable relationship, causing most to rush to forget their anger and reestablish their social hierarchy.

The days passed serenely, but not entirely without consequence. While Angela's life seemed to be turning for the better, it was merely the beginning of the attention being brought to Julia's life now that Angela was a part of it. She was the center of attention and often in the middle of a group of people that she normally did her best to avoid. Though she always excused herself politely at the first given opportunity, it was clear that she was not accustomed to the strain. More than that, Julia's professors were now focusing on her, expecting her to match Angela's aspirations and talent. While it came all but effortlessly to Angela, Julia often struggled and appreciated going largely unnoticed in the past. Once again fearing that she was bringing chaos to Julia's life simply by being a part of it, Angela resolved to do all that she could to put an end to the stresses. She lectured her friends endlessly when they claimed to forget that Julia was delicate and didn't appreciate being the center of attention. Many of their evenings together were spent studying rather than talking about nothing in particular. It was stressful at times, but it was largely peaceful. Angela was certain that this time, her relationship was working.

As their time together approached a year, Angela found herself noticing that, while things were quiet and calm, they were largely the same as they had been in the beginning. They still did the same all of the same things together and enjoyed each other's company, but it was slightly troubling that little had changed. There were never any talks of the future as they enjoyed the present. She often thought about discussing their lives after graduation and wanted nothing more than to ask Julia to move in with her, but the time never felt right. Any mention of the future beyond graduation was met with a slightly depressed expression and an unvoiced yet unmistakable desire to change the subject. The only difference of significance was that Julia was often difficult to contact, seemingly always busy with research for a paper or studying for an exam. It was reasonable enough as their workload was steadily increasing, so Angela tried to tell herself that she was worrying over nothing. In spite of her best efforts, though, she couldn't completely rid herself of the worry that something was amiss.

Angela couldn't ignore her suspicions any longer on a calm evening at the end of a particularly difficult week. Julia received a phone call as they were having dinner that immediately sent her into a panic. Angela did her best to look uninterested as she listened intently to Julia's half of the conversation, but she couldn't determine much outside of the fact that she was apparently talking to her mother. Ten minutes of what was mostly single word responses of agreement from Julia finally ended with a promise to visit home in several weeks' time. Angela took a moment to choose her words carefully before proceeding as Julia finally returned to the table.

"Is everything alright? You never look relaxed when speaking with your parents, but you seem unusually tense tonight."

"Yes...yes, everything's fine." Julia made a motion to resume eating, but stopped as though she were in pain. "I'm sorry. Everything isn't fine. My parents, they're...pressuring me to get married. I keep telling them that I'm not ready for that, but they won't leave me alone about it. I think they expect me to walk down the aisle and pick up a wedding ring and a diploma at the same time."

Angela struggled to not scream in excitement as she heard what sounded like the solution to her problems. "That does not have to be such a bad thing, really." Though she wanted to add more, she knew Julia well enough to know that it was best to introduce anything new slowly.

Though Angela was expecting her to look relieved, she instead seemed to be on the verge of tears. "T—they...they want to introduce me to someone."

Angela's blood ran cold. Though she was immediately aware of what this meant, she couldn't stop herself from asking. "They...do not know about us?"

Julia shook her head, taking several seconds of silence to compose herself before speaking again. "I...couldn't tell them. They wouldn't approve."

Angela's first thought was to ask why, but she quickly decided it didn't matter. She felt a void being created inside of her and anger was quickly filling it. "So you have been hiding me as though I were some kind of a mistress?"

"W—what? No! I just—"

"I have _never_ hidden you from anyone! I wanted _everyone_ to know about you!"

"You don't know what they're like! You've never had to deal with them!"

"I have had to deal with my own!"

"But I'm not like you! I can't just argue with them and make them listen to me! I don't have any interest in him! I was just going to go out to dinner with him and then say I wasn't interested, just like the others—"

Julia could only stare at Angela in horror as she realized that she had said too much. Even Angela was lost for words as she wondered exactly how long this had been going on. Before she had time to pull herself together and ask, her thoughts were interrupted as Julia quickly stood, unable to bear the tension between them.

"I...think I should go."

"I think that you are right."

Julia couldn't hide how deeply the response wounded her. Without another word, she quickly walked to the door, already wiping tears away as she closed the door to Angela's apartment behind her for the last time.

"I won't try to stop you from finishing your story, but...perhaps you should stop for a moment, at least."

Angela blinked, trying to clear her vision and looking up at Fareeha as though surprised to see her. As she had been telling her story, she became lost in it. She was once again a university student dealing with one loss after another between exams and drunken binges. She blinked hard, still unable to see clearly. When she opened her eyes again, she could finally feel the tears that clouded her sight. Seeing Fareeha again, she felt as though she had been rescued from herself and the past. She held onto Fareeha's waist as tightly as she could and fought back more tears, unable to cope with the wounds that she'd reopened after so many years.

Though Fareeha didn't agree with the thought in the least, she knew exactly what Angela was thinking. She held her close, unable to do anything but watch helplessly as she suffered. Only one thought came to mind and, though it seemed impossible that it would do any good, she couldn't stand sitting idle and doing nothing. Freeing a hand, she touched a fingertip to the tablet and quickly scrolled through to a song that she'd readied only minutes earlier while hoping that she wouldn't need it. As she pressed play (3), she returned her hand to Angela's shoulder and held her gently, only breathing a sigh of relief when the trembling slowed as the lyrics took effect. Though it seemed to have some effect, it took a seemingly endless few minutes for Angela to calm herself enough to speak again.

"You...you always know. It is beginning to frighten me."

"That isn't what I intended, but if you're feeling something different, I'll take it."

Angela laughed in spite of herself. "I am sorry to worry you."

"Don't worry about that. I'm always going to be worried if you're not well. Just take your time."

Angela took a moment to wipe her eyes before resting her head against Fareeha's shoulder. She took her time taking in the feeling of the lace against her cheek that reminded her that the memories that hurt her were in the past now. Recalling them at all was only a means of putting them to rest for good and moving on to something better.

"I...am okay. Thank you for understanding, love."

Fareeha, relieved to see the change for the better, finally started to relax. She thought about Angela's gratitude and started to feel unsettled by it. "To be honest, I don't really feel comfortable accepting gratitude for something like this. Understanding is just what I'm supposed to do."

Though Angela wanted to argue, she couldn't find the energy to spare. She settled for squeezing Fareeha's waist again and smiling. "Well...there you have it. That was the mistake I made. It is also the mistake I fear making again. I do not want to end up hurting you the same way I hurt Julia, simply giving up on you out of fear."

"I can't honestly say that I agree with you when you say that you're at fault for this. It sounds as though she was the one that ran away. I can't understand...why would she give up so easily?"

Angela sighed, both appreciative of Fareeha's refusal to place blame on her shoulders and determined to not avoid taking responsibility for her part. "Please, do not think too harshly of her. She was afraid and hurt, just as I was. I am sure you can agree that she was never what I would call brave. Besides, the fault is shared. It is tragic, but it was the result of a lack of communication as much as anything else."

Fareeha loathed admitting it, but she did understand Julia's fear. Just that morning, it had likely only been the result of Lena's intervention that she was able to admit to herself that this evening was actually a date rather than just dinner. She sat in silence for a moment, giving Angela the feeling that she should continue before another argument could be formed.

"I believed that she was saying that she did not see me as someone that she could marry. I could not keep up my charade around her for long and I believed that it had finally caught up with me. I may have also been right in thinking that she was distancing herself. Despite all of that, I regret my decision because I did not try any harder than she did to be certain that things could not work. She was afraid to challenge her parents and I was afraid to be rejected for being myself again."

Try as she might, Fareeha couldn't come up with the argument that would clear Angela of responsibility. It was such a simple and understandable mistake to make, but it was just that. No matter how costly, it was just a mistake. To spend the rest of her life suffering for it was beyond unreasonable. Desperate to keep the conversation moving while she searched for the words she wanted to say, Fareeha asked the first question that came to mind. "What happened then?"

"I drained two bottles of Madeira." Hearing nothing in response to her unintended honesty, she quickly continued. "I eventually learned restraint, but only after seeing the damage done by a lack of it. It made it difficult to move on. I was stuck between being myself and pushing people away and...eventually I came to the decision to not let people get quite so close. It was too painful to think about going through any of it again. Even if things were going well with the person, someone else would undoubtedly get in the way."

Fareeha spoke before she had time to consider what she was saying. "They should have stood up for you. Surely you should've been important enough to them that they could do that much."

"I would not go so far as to say that I was not important to them...just never as important as someone else."

"I would not allow myself to be forced to choose. If someone delivers an ultimatum, that person is usually the wrong choice."

"So if it had been your mother who had not approve of me...?"

Fareeha merely shrugged. "We've argued over less." She thought for a moment and then laughed quietly to herself.

"What is it?"

"I was just thinking that I understand why you enjoyed the thought of Samia thinking of us tonight. Julia is no doubt sitting at home right now with her husband that she hates and thinking of what might have been. She's the one that dropped the ball, I think...and I'm certain that she agrees."

Angela sighed at the same time that she smiled. "Was it this frustrating for you when I refused to let you be at fault for your past?"

"I'm not changing my mind about it, if that's what you mean."

Without warning, Angela pushed the tablet out of Fareeha's lap and threw herself down onto her side, her head landing hard where the tablet had once been.

"Ouch! What...what are you doing?"

"Sulking." After a moment, she added, "I am also pouting."

Fareeha could only laugh as she gently stroked Angela's hair. "Look, I admit that it was as you said: It was an error in judgement. I just don't believe that you'll do yourself or Julia any good by punishing yourself any further over something that you can't change."

"So you are not angry with Julia?"

"I will promise that I won't harm her if I see her."

"Does that mean that Audrey...?"

"Can look forward to getting a rocket shoved up her ass should you ever make the mistake of pointing her out in front of me, yes."

Angela laughed uncontrollably as she thought about it and, no matter how she looked at it, Fareeha was right. No amount of fretting would change the past and could only ruin the future. She was as relieved as she was frustrated. She decided to simply settle on being happy about it, but not before satisfying her curiosity. "Why are you so certain about this? Do you not worry about whether or not I will make the same mistakes again?"

"Angela, that was a _very_ long time ago. You wouldn't be so worried about it if you hadn't learned anything from it. I still think you're the same sweet and adorable person I've always known you to be. Knowing that you have a mind of your own and desires like anyone else doesn't change that. You were young and brash and learned discretion later. That isn't unusual. To be honest, I have some catching up to do in that regard. You've also obviously learned to put aside your fears, something I could also stand to become better at doing. After all, you were far more brave than I've been today."

"How so?"

"If you hadn't suggested dinner tonight, we wouldn't be here now."

Angela smiled when she thought about how nervous she had been all morning as she looked for an opening to take Fareeha out for a romantic evening without putting herself on display. "It is hardly what I would call brave. Besides, had it not been for Tracer and her constantly insisting that I not give up, the thought of trying may never have entered my mind."

"Wait...Lena told you to invite me to dinner?"

"Not directly, no, though she has been determined to see me end up with someone for nearly as long as I have known her. By the time I joined Overwatch, I was done. I was set on giving up on it, but she would not hear of it. She seemed to be unable to go a week without thinking of someone she knew that would like to take me out for an evening."

As Angela's fame had grown considerably since joining Overwatch, it made sense that Lena had no end to her list of potential suitors. She was meticulous in examining them before giving her approval of them, though, so it also made sense that relatively few were ever mentioned. Still, the thought that someone may have run off with Angela first made Fareeha's skin crawl.

"That...sounds like something that she'd do."

"I never understood why, but she never liked the idea of my being alone."

"If I had to guess, I'd say that she knew that you didn't want to be alone. She seems to have a sixth sense for that sort of thing."

Angela laughed at the thought that she often had herself over the last few years of knowing her. Feeling slightly more peaceful, she let her mind drift as her skin tingled underneath Fareeha's fingertips. Thinking of all that had passed between them that evening was painful, but she couldn't help feeling hopeful. In many ways, the situation was the same as it had always been; using the full extent of her knowledge of the world around her, she had come to the decision that this person was special. This was someone that was different than all of the others and worthy of her attention. This meant that there were no more guarantees of a bright future than there had been in the past. She wondered why the thought didn't fill her with dread. As she thought about it, she realized that she had shown the worst of herself to Fareeha. There were no more secrets to be revealed and Fareeha's position remained firm. _She has chosen me the same way I have chosen her._ There was certainly a long road ahead, but they were traveling it together.


	12. Delaying Sunrise

_Author's note: I'm sorry for the short chapter this time. After the last several, I felt that they needed a definitive conclusion. (The last four chapters were originally a single long one that quickly grew beyond the scope of a single chapter.) I didn't think about it until I finished writing this that it was significantly shorter than what has become the average. Having just finished saying how much I hate filler only hours earlier, though, I refuse to add a single meaningless word for the sake of filling a quota. Instead, I'm going to make up for it by not waiting until Saturday to post the next chapter. I'm not entirely sure about the day just yet, but right now I'm planning on releasing the next chapter on Wednesday morning, then resuming regular updates on Saturday._

 _As long as I'm thinking about it, I should also mention that I'm not entirely sure about the update schedule I've set. While I still feel that two updates a week is a good number, going from Monday until Saturday without posting anything doesn't feel quite right. I'll be thinking it over for a while, but I believe that I'm going to change Saturday's upload day to Thursday or Friday. Feel free to add your thoughts on this as I won't be settling on a decision right away._

 _One last note before the track list: The book Angela references is_ _Oranges are Not the Only Fruit_ _by Jeanette Winterson._

 _1\. "Raincoat" by Kelly Sweet_

 _2\. "Sugar Water" by Cibo Matto_

"Are you alright, love?"

The words caught Fareeha by surprise. She had been absentmindedly stroking Angela's hair as they sat in silence on the sofa, Angela still lying on her side with her head in Fareeha's lap. As they slowly recovered from the strain of thinking back to days gone by, they had settled into a peaceful moment of calm. Finally finding a moment to not have to process another uncomfortable thought or painful memory, Fareeha had wasted no time letting her mind drift. She was feeling relief from a great strain that reminded her of finally letting go of a heavy load. Enjoying the moment, her attention had drifted toward the windows and the soft sepia glow of the city lights beneath them. She realized that, struck by a moment of curiosity, the hand that was stroking Angela's hair had stopped moving as she pondered the question.

"Yes, I'm fine. Honestly, I should be asking you. You've been through quite a bit just now."

"I am certain that your own story was no easier to tell than mine. Is that what was on your mind?"

Fareeha looked out of the window at the glow of the city lights again, remembering what she had been wondering about earlier. "No, I was just looking out of the window. I was feeling fortunate that you had rented a room with such a nice view, but I was also wondering why you had bothered to rent one at all given that you live here in the city."

Angela shifted uncomfortably as she felt her face growing warm. "Well, yes, but..."

"But what?"

"I was hoping to get the chance to bring you to see it." Angela was grateful that, between facing away from Fareeha and the dim lighting, the color she was certain that was coming to her face couldn't be seen.

Fareeha, never entirely comfortable with the thought of catering to herself, was surprised that she was starting to enjoy having Angela do so in her place. She thought of a similar conversation having taken place as they were taking in the view from their seats at Maritsa above and felt her heart flutter at the thought that Angela had done so much while thinking of her. She felt a twinge of frustration with herself for not having the words to express her gratitude, instead settling for continuing the conversation. "I'm amazed that Overwatch was willing to fund such an expense. I never thought to ask."

"Neither did I." Angela closed her eyes tight for a moment, both irritated with herself for saying what she was thinking and regretting what would no doubt follow.

Fareeha's hand again stopped stroking Angela's hair, confirming the suspicion. "Wait, _what_? You paid for all of this yourself? This must have cost a fortune!"

Hoping to dismiss the concern, Angela shrugged. "I am fortunate to have the money to spare."

It was strange to hear Angela speak so casually about money. If the words had come from anyone else, they might have sounded like bragging. "But why? It's not like you to spend this kind of money at all, much less all at once."

"It was a worthy cause," Angela replied simply. She didn't elaborate, again glad that Fareeha couldn't see the smile spreading across her face and the color on her cheeks that made it obvious that there was more to the story.

"What kind of a cause?"

 _Scheisse._ Seeing no easy way out of admitting the truth, Angela finally admitted defeat. "I was setting a trap."

"You spent this kind of money on a _trap_?"

"I was hunting big game."

Fareeha thought about what she must have meant and quickly felt overcome with embarrassment. As the date progressed it was apparent that Angela had planned the entire event, but Fareeha had been under the assumption that it was all done on a whim. The thought that it had been planned so far in advance and with so much attention to detail that even the suite had been reserved with specific intent flooded her with emotions that she couldn't place aside from the racing of her heart and the warmth spreading through her chest. Still unable to find the right words, she decided to simply speak the truth.

"I...I'm not so difficult to catch. Not for you, at least. You would've had me quite easily with nothing but a word."

Angela was having a hard time thinking of a way to respond outside of the words that she wouldn't allow herself to say earlier in the transport as they made their way to Anjou. While this seemed like a much more appropriate time for them, it still didn't seem quite right. _Not yet...but soon._

"I am...glad, to say the very least. Even if I had known, though, I would not have taken the risk. I do not wager what I am not willing to lose."

Again overcome by the warmth spreading through her, Fareeha once more settled for saying what came to mind. "You could not have done better. The view is gorgeous. I'm again reminded of flying."

"Would you like to go have a better look at it?"

"Perhaps later."

Angela was surprised by the refusal of the offer. Replicating what she knew to be Fareeha's favorite sensation had been the inspiration for much of the evening. "Are you certain?"

"That would mean getting up and...I'm enjoying this. The view will be there later."

Angela smiled and gently rubbed Fareeha's knee as she once again forced the words coming to mind back into a far corner of her mind to wait for the right moment. She instead started to wonder if she really had gone overboard in preparing for the evening. _I cannot believe that I have spent so much money on a hotel room when I have a perfectly good home here. Still...that just does not seem special enough. I cannot really call this a waste._ She lifted her head just enough to look through the window and out on the city below, the lights of the city giving the familiar amber glow that she'd grown up with. She could almost smell the Mediterranean dishes they'd had in the restaurant above, and her thoughts went to the look on Fareeha's face that she adored. It was filled with wonder at the thrill of learning something new and the feeling of floating high above the world. It was what she thought to be Fareeha's favorite sensation, though she wondered if that was still the case. It seemed presumptuous to assume such a thing, but she couldn't resist the urge to ask.

"Is that not your favorite feeling in the world? Looking down at it from the sky?"

Fareeha gave a soft laugh at herself when she realized how much easier it was becoming to be honest about her feelings. She gently touched the back of her hand to Angela's face, caressing it delicately as she simply replied, "it used to be."

Though she still couldn't deny that her assumption wasn't exactly polite, Angela refused to pass up the opportunity to enjoy having her suspicions confirmed. _No, it was not a waste at all. Quite the contrary, really; it was an excellent idea._ As the feeling overtook her senses, she again thought of the music that had long ago stopped as she was telling her story. Between what she couldn't find the words to say and the words that she refused to utter, it seemed to her to be a good time to let something else speak on her behalf.

"Where is that tablet?"

Fareeha thought about it for a moment and started laughing when she remembered the last time she had seen it. "I believe you had it just before you headbutted my legs."

Angela again felt warmth spreading across her face. She adored Fareeha for indulging her, but she hated to think that she might be abusing the offer. "I...am sorry, love. Does it hurt?"

Fareeha smiled and ran her fingertips over Angela's hair again, sending a tingling sensation running through her entire body. "Let's just say that I don't mind as it was a small price to pay." Feeling what she was certain was a gentle kiss from Angela on her thigh, she took her hand away long enough to retrieve the tablet from her side and scroll through the list of songs. Though she couldn't be certain what Angela was thinking, it wasn't difficult for her to think of something appropriate. She set a song to start playing (1), then handed the tablet to Angela.

The serene sound of the music and the hopeful yet determined tone of the lyrics clearly defined the shift in the atmosphere that had been far more depressing only minutes earlier. Angela could only smile as she heard the music give voice to feelings that she hadn't given much consideration as she was enjoying the moment. They had come a long way in a short time; much of that journey had been incredibly difficult. Even worse was the fact that it was a trip that was years overdue for each of them. Despite the difficulty, however, they had come through it. Even better, they had come through it together. Angela had never imagined that there would be a moment in which she would find herself more proud of her accomplishments because the credit was shared with another. The thought made her more hopeful than ever that her future was bright.

Misreading Angela's silence as she stared blankly at the tablet, Fareeha spoke up with a note of concern in her voice. "So... _are_ you alright?"

"Yes." Angela was nagged by her own response as it echoed in her mind. It wasn't entirely inaccurate, but it didn't seem entirely appropriate, either. "...well, no. But I am better."

Fareeha sighed, still concerned but undeterred. "This isn't going to be easy, is it?"

"No, not at all."

Getting the feeling that she should make her intentions clear, Fareeha added, "but I _will_ do it."

"As will I."

Feeling that she had been rewarded for declaring her intent, Fareeha continued. "Together, then?"

Giving up on trying to lend the appropriate words to her feelings, Angela simply nodded as Fareeha leaned forward to kiss her ear. "Yes...together." She again thought of how far they had come in a single evening and wondered if Fareeha felt the same way. If they were to get through this together, it wouldn't do for her to make progress on her own and leave Fareeha behind. "Are you worried about it at all?"

Much to her surprise, Fareeha shrugged and answered quickly. "Not really. Not anymore, at least. Much of what troubles me is in the past. I just need to remember that the past is over and says nothing of the present. It is...well, admittedly easier said than done, but it is nothing compared to being haunted by a past that can't be changed. I'm also fortunate to have an excellent incentive to make sure the job gets done. Thinking of that, if the worst I have to do is get over myself, I should be nothing but grateful."

"Oh?"

"When I woke up this morning, a moment like this was impossible. Now, it's just a matter of ensuring it lasts. It's easier to do when I remember that the things that trouble me are in the past. Not easy, but decidedly easier. My competition was probably the worst of my concerns as they were a clear and present danger, but even that has been an issue that is in the past for a few hours now."

Angela tried to make sense of what she was hearing, but couldn't quite understand what Fareeha meant. "Competition? What competition?"

"I was hardly the only one hoping for an opportunity like this tonight."

"You are the only one that had a chance."

Blushing fiercely, Fareeha again gave up on trying to process her thoughts and focused her attention on pressing on. "I never would've guessed. Even if I had, I can't honestly say that the crowds weren't a little intimidating."

"What crowds?"

"Didn't you see all of the people waiting outside of the park today just before we left?"

"Well, yes, but what makes you think that they were there for me?" Despite having no interest in them, Angela couldn't help being flattered thinking that she may have been the reason that she had seen so many people outside of the park's gates as she fled.

"Lena seemed certain of it."

"Are you sure she was not simply trying to give you a push forward?"

"Well, yes, but I don't think that she was making it up. She said something about seeing messages about it on your fansites. She said that we should check them more often, though it's probably for the best that I didn't. I'd have been far worse off today if I'd known."

"Well, I check _yours_."

Fareeha's mind stumbled over itself as it tried to find an appropriate response. She wanted to thank Angela for taking such an interest in her, but it didn't seem quite right. She also wanted to tell her how much it meant that she cared enough to bother, but the words wouldn't come. Taking a moment to close her eyes and clear the confusion from her mind, it occurred to her that Angela's own concerns may have prompted her to ask about them in the first place.

"What about you? Do you worry at all about what will come?"

"A little. The past is...difficult to confront. It is nothing when compared to the present, however. When I think of having you here now, however, it is nothing but an obstacle to pass."

"Is that what makes you worry?"

"No. That is what makes me angry. Even if it is my own memories and fear, it is standing in the way of our being together. It must go."

Fareeha looked down at Angela in surprise when she heard a laugh that she couldn't explain. "What is it?"

"I am reminded of a book that I found some time ago. I mentioned it before, but even when a relationship seemed to be working, it would inevitably endure interference from other parties with conflicting interests. It was difficult and painful to be affected by factors that I could not change. That book helped me learn to deal with finding my relationships being threatened by outside influences. One line in particular stood out to me and I find myself remembering it when something that I _can_ change opposes me, in relationships or anything else." She couldn't help smiling as she recited the familiar words that she called to mind as often as The Hippocratic Oath. " 'Now I give you fair warning,' shouted the Queen, stamping on the ground as she spoke; 'Either you or your head must be off.' "

Though unsettled slightly by Angela's more stern and determined side, Fareeha appreciated it when she remembered that things may have turned out differently with Samia if she'd had the same courage. Hearing nothing in response, habit urged Angela to be concerned.

"I have not startled you already, have I?"

"Surprised, yes, but not startled. Besides, I like that line."

Angela smiled as she tried to hide her relief. "I have not thought about it in some time now. I usually try to be a bit more understanding these days, especially when it comes to my career. Threatening people with decapitation makes it difficult to argue points about pacifism."

Fareeha couldn't completely contain her laughter. "Though I want to argue that you shouldn't have to hold yourself back, I have to admit that you have a point."

"It took time, but as you said earlier, I eventually learned discretion. It was necessary by the time I had left university and begun my career. It took effort, but I was able to be professional...though my smile rarely lasted longer than whatever presentation I was giving. Still, it was easier to manage than it had ever been growing up. I suppose I finally did find a better world than the one I had known, even if it does need fixing. Come to think of it, I haven't thought about that quote since the incident with the biotic rifle."

"The what?" Fareeha was immediately excited when she attempted to recall ever having heard of such a thing, her imagination already going wild.

"It was something that... _Torbjörn_ came up with." She spit the name out as if it was bitter.

Fareeha was distracted from her imagination when she heard the unmistakable resentment in Angela's voice. She was surprised as she couldn't remember ever having heard her say anything negative about him in the past. "Do you...not get along?"

"I am not overly fond of him, no. He is not an unpleasant man, but he has no respect for the designs of others. As protective as he is of his precious turrets, I would expect better of him."

Sensing that the pleasant conversation was about to take a dark turn, Fareeha's mind quickly plotted an alternate course. "So, what is this biotic rifle?"

"It was deemed classified by Overwatch, but all things considered, I suppose that there is no harm in speaking of it now."

Fareeha struggled to keep in her excitement. As her addition to the ranks of Overwatch was not yet official, being told of something that was deemed classified felt much like her first act as a member. She attempted to maintain a neutral expression as Angela continued. "It was something that he came up with to aid Overwatch medics in the field. It uses the same technology I created for my staff to give immediate aid over much longer distances. It seemed like such a novel idea...to most, at least. I never liked it. It was always clear that it could be weaponized. Overwatch being what it was, though, the thought didn't seem to bother them. It was all I could do to get them to lock it away for further testing before using it in the field. To the best of my knowledge, they only ever produced a prototype before headquarters was destroyed."

Knowing Angela's feelings about weapons of nearly any kind, it wasn't difficult for Fareeha to tell that she must have felt violated by such a thing if her own inventions had been used in its creation. Though she had a few choice words for Torbjörn come to mind, she put them aside to keep the conversation moving in a positive direction. "At least it was destroyed.'

"No...that is not likely. I do not believe so, at least. After the destruction of headquarters, I went searching for the prototype. It was missing. Worse still, the designs had been accessed at least once after the files were sealed."

"It's not like it can be used as a weapon as it is. Do you have any idea who would want it?"

"No, unfortunately. I cannot imagine that anyone would be able to do harm with it, although it is not impossible that someone could have found a way to do so if they had access to the schematics." Angela's voice and expression both became increasingly dark. "It would not be a concern had he not made such modifications to my creations, so no, I cannot say that I appreciate him quite as much as others seem to. More than that, his views on Omnics are utterly barbaric."

"Omnics?" Fareeha was starting to wonder if she was missing something important that caused the conversation to once again veer out of her control.

"He talks of them as though they were just machines. He refuses to acknowledge them as living beings. It amazes me that anyone as creative as he is could be incapable of reason. They speak and think. They have aspirations, fears and desires. They are _alive_. That their consciousness can be explained by science whereas human consciousness cannot changes nothing."

Though she didn't want to say anything that may upset Angela, Fareeha knew her well enough to know that trying to change the subject when she was speaking passionately about a righteous cause was an excellent way to do just that. She was enjoying learning more of this side of Angela, but it wasn't helping her regain the tranquil atmosphere. As she struggled for a peaceful resolution to the conversation, Angela turned her head toward Fareeha again out of curiosity when she realized that the room suddenly seemed unnaturally quiet. Despite feeling guilty, she couldn't help smiling at the expression on Fareeha's face as she stared into the distance, looking as though she was trying to defuse a bomb. Deciding to return the conversation to its previous course, she thought back and remembered that she had originally been responding to Fareeha's question as to what worried her.

"To answer your earlier question, I worry about the present because I know that my actions have consequences. Even though I have grown and made many changes, I am in many ways the same person that I have always been."

"That doesn't bother me."

"Are you certain? You have not seen all of me yet."

"I've seen enough, so my decision has been made. Accepting a person means accepting all of them. I don't know everything there is to know about you, but I know more than enough to be willing to place a wager on the future."

Just as Angela was opening her mouth to respond, she immediately closed it again in an attempt to stifle a yawn. She waited in silence for a moment, then cursed silently when she realized that it hadn't escaped Fareeha's notice.

"As much as I'm enjoying this evening, it's getting late. I don't want to keep you up."

Angela held on to Fareeha's thigh with a surprisingly strong grip. "I am fine."

"But you have business to attend to tomorrow, don't you?"

"I do not care."

Determined to not let the evening end, Angela picked up the tablet and, after scrolling through a list and finding a song title that caught her attention, she pressed play. (2) A serene beat and soothing bassline began to play, distracting them both from their exchange. Just as she was starting to relax, Angela's brow wrinkled in concentration as the first verse began. After a few seconds of attempting to parse the lyrics she was hearing, she turned slightly toward Fareeha with a confused expression. "What exactly is this one about? I do not understand it."

Fareeha couldn't help laughing. "I actually have no idea. I make it a point to not think too hard about their songs. No good ever comes of it. I suppose that's why I like their music, though; I can just appreciate it for what it is without having to worry about what it's supposed to be. It's a good choice, though. I like it."

Angela settled her cheek back into its comfortable spot on Fareeha's lap and smiled. When she let her guard down, a yawn came out faster than she was able to stop it. Fareeha smiled to herself, taking a moment to appreciate how cute Angela could be before resuming her argument. As she checked her watch, she realized that it was already well past two. Considering everything that had happened that day, it was difficult for her to not feel exhausted herself.

"I'm sure you have a meeting tomorrow."

"Probably." She tried to remember the conversations that she'd had with ambassadors' offices as she was preparing for the evening, but between fatigue and Eiswein, it was all a blur.

"Then shouldn't you be going to bed?"

"Are you trying to end our date?"

"No! No...I was just curious. I don't want you being troubled on my account."

"I do believe that is the only request you will ever make of me that I will not be able to accommodate."

"I...I appreciate that. I can't tell you how much. Still, I can't let you do something that you'll regret tomorrow."

"I am not moving."

Fareeha laughed, certain that she was pouting again. As she thought about it, it seemed as much a shame to get up then as it had when she was looking out of the window earlier. "I think I can agree with you on that, actually."

Angela was silent for a moment, then sighed before confessing, "I keep feeling that if I go to sleep, I will wake up and this will have all been a dream."

"I was thinking something similar. I suppose that when I wake up, I'll have to be a bit more brave when I see you again."

"So you will be here when I wake up?"

"One way or the other, this moment will continue...even if I have to start again from the beginning."

Fareeha smiled and leaned to her side, resting her head on the back of the sofa. Angela, guessing at the significance of Fareeha's shifting in her seat, slowly stood up with some difficulty. In the time that she'd been lying there, her body seemed to have grown unnaturally heavy. In a hurry to get back to a more comfortable place before her pleasant fatigue left her entirely, she took Fareeha's hand and pulled her to her feet.

In the brief moment she'd spent resting her head, Fareeha had grown too tired to make sense of what was happening. "Where are we going?"

"To bed. It is a lovely sofa, but it was made for appearances above all else. Trying to sleep on it can only lead to regret."

Stumbling slightly, Angela held one hand in front of her to push the bedroom door open while the other pulled Fareeha along behind her. As they made their way across the bedroom, a small part of Fareeha's mind attempted to make her feel more concerned about the prospect of sharing a bed with Angela. As she felt Angela gently tug on her hand one last time before collapsing on the bed and slowly making her way across it to make room, she pushed the concern aside before it could gather strength. _It is time to get over myself...and I am too tired to argue._ She attempted to sit gracefully, but gravity and fatigue seemed to combine their efforts in pulling her onto the bed. Giving up on appearing graceful, she leaned back and rested her head on one of the pillows, then turned toward Angela to see her staring back. Her eyes were only halfway open, but she continued to stare intently with a faint smile.

Smiling, Angela brought herself closer to Fareeha, once again resting her head on the lace covered shoulder and draping an arm over her stomach. It occurred to her that Fareeha might have been somewhat unnerved by this most recent development and the polite thing to do would be to attempt to ease her mind somewhat with conversation. She tried to think of anything to say, but the words wouldn't take shape in the midst of the haze of fatigue surrounding them. Seeing Fareeha's eyes slowly closing, she let go of the concern and smiled again as she kissed Fareeha's cheek and let herself drift off to sleep.


	13. The Morning After

_Author's note: I owe everyone a pretty big apology this time. This chapter is again a little short, but it was originally intended to post Wednesday morning as a special bonus post before today's regular update. I only just barely managed to finish it in time to get it uploaded this morning. I originally said that I wasn't sure that I would have it uploaded on Wednesday because I was planning on making some drastic changes to my daily routine. In preparation for the changes I mentioned a while back that are coming up in a few weeks' time, I've been trying to get a head start on changing my sleeping pattern to a stable routine of sleeping at night and waking up early in the morning. I expected to have some difficulty with it as I haven't been able to sleep through a night since middle school (yes, literally), but I didn't expect it to be quite this bad. All week long, I've been lightheaded, nauseated and barely able to focus on anything. Even this short chapter has taken me all week to write when nearly every other chapter I've written so far has each been completed inside of a day. I'm starting to feel a bit better, but I may still end up being a little slow to update while I'm getting myself back up to speed and my sleeping pattern more or less stable. For the next few updates, I'm going to ignore the upload schedule and just post chapters as quickly as I can finish them until I'm feeling right again. I know I ask this fairly often, but please bear with me until then. Also, I'd like to give special thanks to the friends that took time to play Overwatch with me while I've been cranky, irritable and having trouble stringing together coherent sentences all week long. It went a long way in helping me sort myself out._

 _There's surprisingly no music to note this time around, but if you haven't guessed at it already, I'm sure you'll soon understand why nobody wants any loud sounds this morning._

Though she couldn't say with any certainty where she was, Fareeha was sure that she wasn't anywhere familiar. The only thing that was clear that, as usual, she had been sleeping on her back. Through her closed eyelids, she was certain that the sun was shining too brightly to be the early morning that she was used to waking up and seeing. She attempted to make sense of her situation before opening her eyes, but it wasn't without great difficulty; her thoughts were muddled and her memory was largely inaccessible. Her head throbbed slightly, not enough to bother complaining about it but concerning as she couldn't immediately place a reason for it. Her body felt strangely heavy, as though she had been drained of her energy without any muscle fatigue to show for it. Her stomach was uneasy, calm at the moment but threatening to violently resist any sudden movement. The sensation was disorienting, but not entirely unpleasant. It made her want to let go of her consciousness and drift back to sleep. Such a thing was so far outside of her character that she found herself wishing that she had the energy to laugh at the idea as she pushed herself to wake up, but it was tempting nonetheless.

As she waited while consciousness slowly returned to her, the first thing that came to Fareeha's mind was that whatever she was sleeping on was entirely too soft. It was firm but yielding, conforming to every curve in her back and legs. Whatever the material was, it was surely worth far more than she ever would've been willing to spend. Curiosity compelled her to force her eyes open to take in her surroundings, but the light that came to her eyes made her immediately change her mind when she felt a sharp, stabbing pain in her head and her stomach suddenly started tossing violently as if in protest. Shutting her eyes tight and cursing silently, she quickly decided that it would be best to take things slowly despite her growing confusion. Her body seemed to agree with the decision; the pain receded gradually and her stomach soon settled, though it still gave her the sensation that she was somehow in motion. After a minute of slowly breathing and otherwise remaining motionless, her body once again became still and heavy, making her want to do nothing other than go back to sleep.

With her body calm but her mind not quite at ease, she started trying to recall her most recent memory. She could vaguely remember getting on a plane and coming to Zürich for a festival promoting world peace as her first act as an unofficial member of Overwatch. She had been dreading it as something about her role in the proceedings was eluding her and nobody seemed interested in giving her more information. Given that it was an event being held for the public, it could only be assumed that she was there to promote Helix more than anything else. Helix had come under fire in recent years as a mistrust of private military organizations steadily grew. While the bulk of the malcontent was aimed at Overwatch before its fall, Helix's public image had also suffered and had yet to recover. With rumors of Overwatch's reforming in a time of need floating around, Fareeha couldn't argue that it was the perfect time to begin reaching out to the public if only to end the wild accusations being directed at them out of a fear of the unknown. It also made sense to her that Helix couldn't afford to pass up the opportunity to publicly align themselves with Overwatch if there was even a chance that they would be accepted again and, as she was being considered to join Overwatch, she was the perfect representative to endorse them. That she would be stuck forcing herself to smile and speak with random strangers, however, was nearly too great a burden to bear. Despite the fact that it meant that her lifelong dream was finally coming true, the thought of enduring a full day of pretending that she had any idea how to relate to people she didn't know was nearly enough to make her argue the point that she should be the one sent on this mission. The only thing making her actually look forward to the ordeal was the fact that Angela was the center of the event, meaning that they would no doubt meet each other there. As hard as it was to schedule a meeting on the same continent, the event was as important to Fareeha as it was to Helix. Thinking about it made her feel the same excitement over seeing Angela again, causing her to immediately start daydreaming of their next meeting and the hopes that this time, things would be different and they would somehow become closer. Endless hours of practice retaining details of their encounters led her to recall their every detail again, from the sound of her laugh to the scent of her perfume. Though it made her stomach churn again in warning, the sudden racing of her heart at the thought of the fragrance was irresistible to not take the time to appreciate.

 _I can almost smell it...no, not almost. I think I really can I smell it._

As though it were a machine that had been sitting idle for too long, Fareeha's mind slowly lurched into gear when the memory of Angela's perfume seemed too powerful to merely be a memory. She was almost certain that she could actually smell it; not the merely pleasant scent that came from the star-shaped bottle she kept hidden away, but the overwhelming scent of it coming from Angela's skin that made her senses go dull. She was certain that she could smell honey, chocolate, amber and patchouli nearby. Again she struggled to make sense of her situation and attempted to call recent events to memory, but large portions of it seemed to be slow in returning to her. She remembered being at the festival, frustrated beyond words to be surrounded by children that she was afraid she was scaring. It seemed endless until Angela took her arm, all but erasing her concerns with just the touch. She could remember that Lena was there, then something about not waiting for an opportunity to pass her by. Something about dinner plans with Angela followed, then...

 _Wait...dinner?_

With a violent jerk, her thoughts were pulled to the present as her memory of the previous day started to come into focus. She remembered making plans for dinner and, though they had done so many times before, there was certainly something different about it this time. There was a long conversation with Lena and a vague memory of preparing for the evening too uncomfortable to recall completely. Then there was walking into Angela's house...no, a hotel room. Why did she have a hotel room in the same city where she lived? Just as Fareeha was beginning to question her faint memories of the day before, she could remember standing in front of Angela, her breath caught in her throat when she took in the sight of her. She was both stunning in her beauty and looking back with an expression of awe and desire that Fareeha had dreamed of seeing for longer than she could remember. It was as if she had become the center of Angela's world. It wasn't just dinner. It was a date. Memories of senses began flooding back faster than Fareeha could process them. There was the the sight of Angela, then the scent of perfume, the flavor of lamb and red wine, then coffee flavored ice cream and, for some reason, lipstick.

 _Lipstick? Lipstick...lipstick!_

Her mind finally catching up to the present, Fareeha examined the situation again, this time with most of her memory at her disposal. She didn't dare open her eyes in the bright morning light again, but the scent of perfume and the feeling of the soft bed beneath her was enough for her to conclude that she must be in Angela's bed. She patted herself and, feeling the silk covering her thigh, she remembered the dress that she had struggled so much to acquire the day before. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that she was still dressed, though for some reason, the thought still didn't completely satisfy her. She reached around her body and felt the Egyptian cotton of the duvet beneath her, the smooth texture of the high thread count confirming her suspicions that she must be in an expensive bed. Just as she was convinced that she had drawn an accurate conclusion regarding her whereabouts, her hand brushed across something far softer and more inviting than even the mattress. It was then that she realized that, while she was still feeling quite exhausted, all of the weight she was feeling wasn't her own. Her hand froze on the delicate curve that seemed to be wrapped around her, suddenly both thrilled and terrified by the prospect of confirming another of her suspicions. As she considered her situation again and reviewed her options, she reached the conclusion that there was no other choice than to see the scene for herself. She steeled herself against the inevitable pain in her head and slowly opened her eyes, taking her time in allowing the bedroom ceiling to come into focus. Despite protests from her churning stomach, she blinked several times and allowed the bright light to flood into her eyes as she looked around her. To one side, she could see a door that she could only barely remember stumbling through hours earlier. She again froze in place when she looked to her other side and saw a pair of bright blue eyes looking back at her.

"Good morning, meine Liebe."

The delicate voice sounded as though it were part of a dream. It was only the gradually easing pain in Fareeha's head that suggested to her that she was really hearing it. Angela looked as though she wasn't entirely awake; her eyes were only partially open and she was smiling sweetly as though remembering something pleasant. Her hair had been taken down at some point during the night and it waved slightly where it had been so tightly wound and pinned in place. She was lying on her side with both her arm and her thigh draped over Fareeha's body and her head resting in its now familiar spot on Fareeha's shoulder. Feeling Fareeha's body go rigid, Angela raised herself up just enough to bring her lips to Fareeha's for a moment before settling back into her comfortable position.

"I hope you are not too startled. I admit that I was surprised to wake up this way, myself."

Realizing that she had yet to say anything in response, Fareeha forced her thoughts to catch up to the present. "I...I'm sorry. I'm just a little out of sorts, I suppose."

"It is understandable. Yesterday was a long day and last night was a long night...and we were not asleep for long, all things considered." Angela's smile slowly faded as she realized that Fareeha wasn't relaxing. Nervousness quickly took root as thoughts of regret came to mind, but she pushed them aside quickly, only taking the time to notice how much easier it was to do so this time. "Are...are you alright, love?"

"Y—yes, I'm alright...aside from this headache, at least. And my stomach..."

Despite being determined to not immediately assume the worst, Angela breathed a sigh of relief when she understood the nature of the problem. "I suppose that is to be expected. I am not feeling entirely well, myself. You do not drink often and, well...we may have overdone it a bit last night."

Thinking back to the glasses of Blauburgunder in Maritsa and the now empty bottles of Eiswein in the next room, it suddenly made sense to Fareeha that she wasn't feeling herself. She was no stranger to drinking, but the rarity of the occasions on which she found herself with the time to enjoy it and her underestimation of the wine made for a surprising reaction that she hadn't prepared herself to experience. As she thought about it, though, the hangover wasn't especially bad. As long as she remained still, it was almost pleasant. It was clearly the rest of the situation that had her thoughts scattered now that she was able to process it all.

"Not really. I'm fine as long as I don't move. To be honest, the wine is nothing compared to...well, being here with you. As many times as the thought has come to mind, it's just surprising to see it actually happen. I was wondering if I was still dreaming." Though Fareeha was surprised by her sudden honesty, she was more surprised by the fact that she didn't exactly regret having spoken her mind. When Angela blushed in response, she was thankful that she hadn't taken the time to consider her thought and stop herself from voicing it.

"Well, I do not mind staying like this for a while. As you said, after thinking about it for so long, it is nice to finally experience it. I would like to enjoy it."

Angela held Fareeha a little tighter as she settled in to return to sleep, then groaned when she heard a soft voice coming from the speakers scattered around the suite. Picking up on their movement and conversation, the sensors in the bedroom chose this moment to alert the suite's private network to deliver morning announcements.

"Good morning, Doctor Ziegler. It is currently eight thirty seven and the outdoor temperature is fifteen degrees. You have messages waiting—"

"Not now!" Angela shouted at the ceiling and then buried her face in Fareeha's shoulder, determined to not have her moment of peace interrupted. She sighed heavily when she felt Fareeha shifting slightly and turning to face her. She was more than willing to put the rest of the world on hold, but Fareeha would surely never hear of such a thing.

"You can't just ignore them. They must be important. I should also check mine if it's this late. I'm sure I've got at least one by now that I should be answering."

Feeling Fareeha beginning to rise, Angela held on tighter to hold her in place. She was willing to hear the messages if it satisfied Fareeha, but only on the condition that her perfect morning didn't entirely come to an end. She lifted her head and, though she had an idea to retrieve both of their messages without having to get up, she spoke to the ceiling with a defeated voice.

"Connect all devices present to the local network and retrieve notifications."

"Captain Fareeha Amari: One missed call, two missed messages. Doctor Angela Ziegler: Seventeen missed calls, forty nine missed messages."

Fareeha looked in confusion at Angela, who sighed again and ordered the list of messages to be displayed on the television screen. "I always knew you were popular, but..."

Angela shook her head, then ordered the end of the speech from the speakers listing the names of all of the people that had contacted her. "They are business contacts, but they do not want anything important. I informed them that I would be taking time away following the festival, so I can only assume that they are calling because they saw us on the news." As the messages scrolled past, her expression grew increasingly more irritated. "As I thought. They just want to know what I have been doing...as though they do not already know. Given that they _do_ know, I am amazed that they would be bothering me right now. It can only be for the sake of being the first to share the details of my evening."

Fareeha, finally able to recall some of the details of the evening before, remembered the people in Angela's story about her past. One of the traits that most of them shared that she seemed to detest was a love of gossip. Fareeha was quick to insist that they attend to business matters because she had assumed that Angela simply didn't want to be bothered; she knew well that Angela wasn't normally easy to wake up in the morning and usually needed at least an hour to herself before she could be troubled for anything. Thinking about her being hounded for fuel for more talk about her made her sudden irritation much easier to understand.

"I'm sorry, Angela. I know how much you hate dealing with things like this."

"Do not worry about it. You were right to say that they should not be ignored." She ordered the screen to stop scrolling near the end of the list. "I see one call here that seems to require my immediate attention. The French embassy is requesting my presence, so I should answer them, at least."

Fareeha glanced at the screen and saw many more messages, all of which appeared to be business letters and other official communications from hospitals and universities. "What about the rest? Are any more of them important?"

Angela's expression turned sour. "Hardly. They have merely taken not minding their own business and presented it as official requests for 'discussion of matters of importance.' If they had anything of significance to discuss outside of my personal life, they would have mentioned it at some point during the request."

"That's...surprising."

Angela's expression was softened slightly by a smile when she took in Fareeha's expression, looking as though she was still attempting to make sense of what she was hearing. "I suppose it would be to anyone not used to dealing with them. You would expect better of doctors and educators, but it is really only formally presented gossip. All of them want something and most of them want something that they do not need. Aside from the embassy, all of it can wait."

"What do you suppose they want?"

"I spoke with them briefly yesterday as I was on my way back here from the festival. From what I gathered, it seems that they want to get a head start on opening negotiations with Overwatch now that we have gone public with our intent to reform. Given that we are breaking international law by doing so, I suppose people are taking us seriously now. I do not want to deal with it today, but I cannot miss an opportunity to make a good impression."

Fareeha smiled, feeling relieved. She was happy that important work wasn't being put aside because of her, but more than that, she was happy to see that Angela didn't seem to be too upset by her insisting that the matter not wait. After seeing how difficult it had been to talk about her past, the last thing she wanted to do was give the impression that she hadn't been listening. They had both endured suffering solely for the sake of being able to understand each other better; Fareeha was weighted by guilt for having already forgotten one of the things that she learned from it. She quickly reviewed everything that she could recall from the night before, determined to not repeat the mistake.

"What about your messages, love?"

Lost in trying to remember the night before, Fareeha had completely forgotten about her own missed messages. She only nodded to Angela, who commanded that Fareeha's messages be displayed in place of her own. As Fareeha thought about where they must have come from, an uneasy feeling in her stomach that had nothing to do with the wine from the night before made it easy to guess before the voice from the speakers announced them.

"Missed phone call from: The office of Lieutenant Colonel Ranim Fawzy. Messages from: Lena Oxton and Lieutenant Colonel Ranim Fawzy."

Angela raised her eyebrows, not bothering to hide her curiosity. "What does Tracer want?" Before Fareeha could do anything to stop it, the message from Lena displayed on the television screen.

 _PHARAH! Where in the bloody hell have you been? Are you still out with Mercy? Film crews have been crowding outside your hotel all morning. I think they've figured out that you're not here, so I'm guessing they're headed your way by now. It looks like it went better than I thought! (Don't forget: I told you so!) Call me and tell me all about it! And don't you dare leave anything out!_

Angela turned to Fareeha with a mischievous smile that was met with only silence and a fierce scarlet blush as Fareeha looked in any direction other than Angela's.

"So...what are you going to tell her?"

"I wish I knew."

Angela laughed loudly at Fareeha's embarrassed response, ignoring the pain it caused in her head. "Come, now...it is not that bad, is it?"

"Something tells me that she really won't let me go without actually wringing every last detail from me." Fareeha thought about every moment they'd spent in each other's arms and every kiss they'd shared and was mortified by the thought of telling anyone else about any of it. Never having had the opportunity to share details of such a wonderful experience with anyone before made the task seem all but impossible.

Sensing that Fareeha was more than merely embarrassed, Angela forced herself to calm her laughter for fear of upsetting Fareeha. Turning back to the television screen, she attempted to reassure her. "Do not worry. I will tell her to go easy on you, though I am certain that she already knows. She only wants to share your moment with you." Fareeha nodded, but seeing that she still looked uneasy, Angela opted to change the subject. "Who is Ranim Fawzy? I believe I have heard you mention that name before."

Grateful for the change of subject, Fareeha looked up at the screen again and started to read the message. "She works for Helix. She's the one that has been in charge of my transition to Overwatch. I had a feeling that I would be hearing from her today."

"You are officially on leave for this event, though. Is this some kind of a debriefing?"

"Something tells me that it won't be quite that easy." Reading the message, Fareeha frowned as her suspicions were confirmed. ".لقد عرفت ذلك"

"What?"

"It's nothing, really...it's just that I should've expected something like this." She saw phrases like "company image" and "proper use of resources" that suggested that, while she had done nothing wrong, someone still had something to say about it. Thinking about the crowds of reporters she'd fought her way through for most of the afternoon and evening before, it wasn't hard to guess what had started it all.

Taking in Fareeha's stern expression, Angela began to wonder if there was something about the message that she wasn't understanding. "Are...are they upset with you?"

"Not exactly. I'm not doing anything to hurt the company image, but they want to make sure it stays that way. In a sense, I imagine that this is the sort of thing they wanted when they sent me here. Everything about the festival and my joining Overwatch was all about painting a pretty picture of Helix for the public, after all. I doubt they were expecting me to end up in the news for something like this, though, so I'm guessing that they just want to make sure I don't waste an opportunity for a positive news story that will have their name in it." Fareeha sighed and considered the conversation that would follow. While she wasn't guilty of anything, she was certain that she wasn't going to enjoy it.

"This...this will not be a problem, will it?" The note of desperation in Angela's voice was faint, but it was unmistakable.

Fareeha looked away from the screen and at Angela, who was suddenly looking apprehensive. She smiled and kissed her tenderly, taking her entirely by surprise. After remembering the difficulty that she'd had the previous evening trying to find the right words, Fareeha was both fed up with the difficulty she had with it and unwilling to risk a miscommunication. This was a point that needed to be made perfectly clear. When she finally pulled away, Angela smiled at her with a dazed expression.

"I'm really going to have to learn to speak my thoughts a bit better one of these days."

"I...do not mind this, actually."

Fareeha laughed as she considered the possibility of speaking through kisses rather than words. As amusing as the idea was, it was also tempting. "Well, I'll certainly consider it. Meanwhile, I should think about returning this call if only to get it over with...but know that this will most decidedly _not_ be a problem. Not for me, at least. Even I hate to think of what may await anyone that tries to turn this into one for me."

When Angela heard the strength of the conviction in Fareeha's response, she felt as lightheaded as she did when she was being kissed. She never intended to admit it, but in light of hindsight, she realized that it must have been obvious that she was worried. A battle of wills between herself and the person she loved and the people trying to keep them apart wasn't one that she was accustomed to winning. This wasn't entirely the same as in the past, however; the battles of the past were against disapproving friends or relatives, but the present concerned Fareeha's career. Despite the fact that the stakes were decidedly higher now, Angela couldn't bring herself to try to change Fareeha's mind. Instead, she focused on how effective Fareeha's words truly were. _She is better with words than she gives herself credit for...but I do enjoy her alternatives._

Fareeha gave Angela a cautious look after glancing at the message on the screen one last time. "I really would like nothing more than to stay here in bed today, but I really should return that call."

Angela sighed, finally admitting that she should do the same. "As should I, if I am honest about it." She pouted as she carefully sat up, staring at the edge of the bed as though it were an enemy that she had failed to defeat.

"Well, I'll be free to enjoy the rest of my leave once I'm done with this. We could...do this again."

Angela turned around quickly in surprise. Though a small but sharp pain in her head punished her for the sudden movement, she took no interest in it. "Y—yes! Of course! We could get breakfast—well, brunch. Then we could come back here and...go back to bed." She worried about the potential implications of the suggestion, but Fareeha didn't appear to be at all distressed.

"That sounds like a good idea. I may be awake right now, but I have a hard time imagining that it will take." She moved to the edge of the bed and stood as slowly as she could, fearing more protests from her stomach. She felt as though she was moving through water more than air, but she seemed to be stable for the moment.

"Excellent! I hope you do not mind if we order in. I am not certain that going out would agree with me today."

"I think I know what you mean. I'm not looking forward to it, myself."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to have to go back to my hotel room. I need to put on my dress uniform before I make the call. It probably isn't necessary, but it's the sort of thing that they'll complain about if they're in the mood to find something wrong. Not communicating with video is as good as an invitation to inquire about it. It's not worth letting it come up."

An idea struck Angela that seemed reckless, but she couldn't stop herself entirely. "You should get some things from your hotel room and bring them here." Suddenly regretting her boldness, she quickly added, "it seems like a waste of time to spend time traveling between hotels, especially with the crowds of spectators that we would have to fight through."

Angela added the latter part as insurance. She couldn't help being nervous. She remembered Samia and how things had turned out for Fareeha the last time she moved too quickly. The last thing Angela wanted was to give her the idea that history was repeating itself, especially when she was fighting so hard to convince herself otherwise. If she was honest with herself, though, the last thing she wanted was for things to progress any more slowly than absolutely necessary now that they had finally begun. _It is necessary for her, though. I must believe her when she says that she will not leave. If that is true, then I must be patient._

Angela's mention of spectators reminded Fareeha of the crowds that Lena had warned her would likely be coming her way. The thought made her stomach churn in spite of her efforts to keep it calm, but it wasn't enough to keep her from realizing what Angela was suggesting. While they had shared a hotel room on multiple occasions in the past, she couldn't convince herself that the situations were similar in any way. From the moment that she'd accepted the true meaning of the invitation to dinner the night before, she was in unfamiliar territory. The situation had changed entirely and was continuing to do so. She smiled when she realized that the most significant change was that she wanted it to.

"Yes, I think you're right. I'll get some things together and get back here as soon as I can."

Fareeha made her way into the next room and took a moment to look around. She was overcome with emotions that she couldn't quite sort when she remembered how much had passed between the two of them that evening. Their shoes were still in front of the sofa, Angela's placed neatly at one side and her own discarded haphazardly in her haste to be rid of them. Two empty bottles of Eiswein sat in a polished steel bucket now filled with water. A pair of lipstick stained wine glasses were sitting near it, one of them still partially filled and the other resting on its side next to a tablet that was still active and waiting for another song to be queued. Taking in the scene felt to Fareeha like a validation of her memories, assuring her that she wasn't still somehow dreaming. She laughed at herself when she realized that it was still a concern. She carefully slid into her shoes and picked up her phone, then turned when she heard Angela entering the room. She was smiling to herself as she made her way toward Fareeha with a hairbrush in hand.

"What is that for?"

Laughing at the memory of a similar situation as they were leaving Anjou the night before, she replied, "again, modesty. I doubt you will be alone when you reach the front door and people will be making enough assumptions about your departure so early in the morning as it is."

Fareeha found herself growing uneasy when she considered the possibility as Angela started brushing her hair back into place. She was never comfortable with any kind of attention, but Angela might very well be bothered by any rumors that started circulating. "Should I say something to them?"

Angela couldn't resist the urge to kiss Fareeha gently as appreciation welled up inside of her. _She really has been paying attention._ She shook her head as she started straightening Fareeha's dress and stretching out wrinkles as best she could. "Do not worry about it, love. For once, I do not mind the murmuring."

Fareeha felt her face growing warm. The thought that Angela would be proud of such implications being made was further validation of the changes that were taking place in their relationship. They were certainly no longer only good friends. The more she thought about it, the better the thought sounded to her as well. As Angela took a moment to put one last stray hair into place, Fareeha's heart fluttered when she realized how much care was going into her appearance, giving her a fleeting thought of being sent off to work by a loving wife.

"There. I believe you are ready to go. Let me know when you are on your way back; I will have breakfast ready when you return."

Again, Fareeha thought of being cared for by a wife and, for a moment, couldn't find the words to speak. She quickly kissed Angela one last time and made her way to the door, only just remembering to grab her coat and evening bag on her way out. As Angela watched her carefully walk out of the door, she smiled as more words occurred to her that she couldn't bring herself to say. These words, however, she was willing to enjoy thinking to herself. _Please hurry home._


	14. French Defense

_Author's note: This chapter is quite late and was probably the most difficult to write so far just because of the strain, but I refuse to not continue. If nothing else, this is proving to be a valuable learning experience. By this point, I want nothing more than to keep writing. I suppose that it's best that I learn now how to deal with the things that interfere with my process and continue to produce. It's taken far longer than I would like, but I think I'm finally getting the hang of this new schedule. I still worry about the drop in quality even though it's a rough draft and a quick reread at best, but I feel that it's still far more important to get into the habit of finishing than it is to worry about the details at this point. I'm pretty sure that this chapter is going to make for a painful second edit, but at least there will be a second edit as long as I finish the first one._

 _Again, a huge thanks is owed to the friends that have played Overwatch with me while I've been utterly miserable. I also want to thank everyone that has sent me messages wishing me well. It's a long road, but I'm getting there. Thank you all for helping me along the way._

 _1\. "Rubella" by Smoking Popes_

Fareeha checked her watch as she took her seat in the back of her transport. _Damn. Nine seventeen._ She tried to lean back into the soft leather and relax, but the thought of her upcoming conversation wore away at her nerves. It was already past nine, which meant that Lieutenant Colonel Fawzy was already in her office. Worse still, Giza was an hour ahead of her; Fawzy wasn't the type to consider a difference in time zones to be an acceptable excuse for not having returned the call as soon as she was ready to take it, so she had likely been sitting at her desk for well over an hour and waiting for her phone to ring. Fareeha hadn't had any dealings with her before Helix had been contacted by Overwatch regarding her contract and the possibility of recruiting her, but in the last several months, she'd been given plenty of reason to be glad for that fact. Fawzy was often difficult to deal with. Most of her superiors were much the same, but there was always a reasonable explanation for it. She knew the difficulty of their positions, often expected to produce results and lucky to have half of the resources that they needed to get the job done. Though it often outraged her to no end when those expectations were passed on to her and the people under her, she made it a point to remember that the ones giving her orders were in no better a position than she was.

Fawzy was another matter altogether, though. Though her demands were often as unreasonable as anyone else's, there was rarely any logic behind it other than an apparent personal desire. Fawzy was quick to assert her authority at every given opportunity; it was clear that she enjoyed having power over others and seemingly little interest in anything else, including accomplishing missions and saving lives. It was a popular opinion that she enjoyed her authority far more than the responsibility that came with it. At best, it was annoying. At worst, it could end up getting someone killed if she ever found herself in charge of more than working at a desk and managing public opinion. Helix had established the office of public relations hastily in the wake of public outcry against private military organizations. Given Fawzy's natural talent for worrying about her image and the fact that the rank of Lieutenant Colonel came with the position, it was no wonder that she had ended up there. Nobody else wanted the job, she wanted the prestige and nobody liked the thought of having their lives depend on her decisions.

Fareeha didn't realize how tense she had become from just thinking about Fawzy until she noticed the transport's progress slowing to a crawl. She was unconsciously grinding her teeth together and her stomach was once again tossing violently. Heeding her stomach's warning, she forced herself to relax and shift her thoughts elsewhere. She looked out of the window and again felt her irritation continuing to steadily grow. They were approaching her hotel and, as Lena had suspected, there was a large crowd gathered outside of the front doors. She had made her way through the surprisingly small crowd outside of Angela's hotel with minimal difficulty and was already comfortable in thinking that she had just missed the majority of it. To her dismay, the crowd outside of her hotel looked as large as it had outside of Angela's the day before, if not slightly larger. As her transport approached, spectators crowded around it in an attempt to see through the nearly opaque rear windows. As several unusually bright camera flashes went off, Fareeha again forced her thoughts elsewhere.

 _This will be over soon...and I'll be seeing Angela again._

The thought calmed her and, to her surprise, her stomach seemed to settle. She still felt nervous, but now for entirely different reasons. Thinking of packing her things and settling in at Angela's suite reminded her of her thoughts of having a loving wife send her off to work, only now she would be coming home after a hard day. The urge to cry hit her so quickly that she wasn't immediately sure what the feeling was. It was certainly unusual for her; no matter how bad the situation, crying almost never occurred to her. It simply wasn't in her nature. It was especially confusing to her as this was hardly an unpleasant sensation. It was simply overwhelming. The thought of having a place to call home and having someone other than another soldier waiting for her to return were entirely separate thoughts in her mind. Something about putting them together made the feeling something more than the sum of its parts. She couldn't work out exactly what it was and was both too exhausted and too preoccupied with the task ahead to make sense of it.

Looking out of the window again, she saw the distance to the hotel's front doors and the slow progress with which the hotel employees were moving the crowd out of the transport's path. Remembering the day before, Fareeha estimated that it would be at least five minutes before she would be able to get out. For once, she was grateful for the few minutes of relative calm despite the storm on the horizon. She picked up her phone and flipped through the playlists for a moment before settling on a song that seemed to suit her thoughts. (1) As the music began playing over the transport's speakers, she smiled and thought about the return trip to Angela's suite. Approaching the thought cautiously as she felt her eyes starting to sting, she thought back and tried to find any memory to compare it to. Throughout her entire life, despite the numerous times she'd returned to overcrowded barracks, she had only returned to a home that was either empty or only held a person that might as well have not actually been there at all. Outside of the occasional return trips home that her mother had made over the years, this would be her first time going to a place she felt comfortable calling home with someone special waiting there for her. She thought of the other members of Helix, but she couldn't draw parallels between the two situations. They were as good as family, but Angela somehow stood head and shoulders above everyone else. She hated to think that she was trying to replace them somehow, but she couldn't deny that Angela was special, either. Life with other soldiers felt like having a family, but thinking of life with Angela made her think of the suite as home.

It wasn't until the song ended that Fareeha was pulled out of her reverie and realized that the transport had stopped for the last time in front of the hotel's front doors. She groaned when she saw the path to the doors, hotel employees only barely able to keep it clear of journalists with their microphones already in hand. She quickly reviewed her practiced routine of smiling politely and waving to people while completely ignoring their demands for her attention. The practice didn't seem any less rude than simply ignoring them when she thought about it, but they seemed to appreciate it. She simply took it as one more thing that she didn't understand about how most people seemed to think as she stepped out of the transport and took shelter behind her driver and the hotel employees as they escorted her to the front doors. She smiled as best she could, but just as when she was leaving Angela's hotel, the action seemed to cause her pain. She thought that she was simply overthinking it earlier, but remembering trying to open her eyes for the first time that morning made her wonder if it had more to do with wine than being annoyed. She focused through the pain and continued to smile and walk, ignoring questions about Angela and why she was just now coming back to her own hotel so late in the morning. It wasn't until she had passed through the hotel doors that she noticed Lena standing in the lobby waiting for her to arrive. She had a smile on her face that made it obvious that she had the same questions as the journalists and wouldn't be quite so easily dismissed. Knowing what was coming, Fareeha wasted no time putting the task aside in favor of getting to the safety of her room and getting her phone call over with.

"In a minute, Lena."

"Promise?"

"Yes, of course. I just need to take care of something first."

Satisfied, Lena immediately took a place at Fareeha's side as she quickly thanked the hotel staff and made her way to the elevators. "Sorry about the bad intel. I saw them starting to clear out and assumed that they were headed your way. They only came back a few minutes ago."

"How did they know?"

"They heard that you were leaving Mercy's and assumed you were coming back here. News travels fast. You really ought to check your fansites more."

As they entered and the doors closed behind them, the carefully maintained smile disappeared from Fareeha's face in an instant.

"Are...are you alright, love? You don't look well."

Hearing the worry in Lena's voice, Fareeha guessed at what she must be fearing. "Yes, I'm fine. Better than ever, really. We just...well, we may have overdone it last night." She was relieved when Lena smiled at her response, but something about it gave her the urge to add, "we had quite a bit of wine and I don't drink often." Seeing Lena's slightly disappointed expression made her certain that she'd made the right decision.

"I'll send you the recipe for a prairie oyster."

"A what?"

"It's a hangover cure. McCree showed it to me once. It was disgusting, but it worked. So...where _have_ you been all this time?"

 _Well, that didn't take long._ Seeing Lena bounce back so quickly and clearly incapable of restraining her curiosity entirely, Fareeha sighed and met her excited smile with the shortest answer possible. "I've been with Angela. We were up late talking and fell asleep. We just woke up about an hour ago."

"Just talking?"

Though she wanted to confirm this, something about Lena's excitement made it difficult for her to deny that there was far more to the story. "Well...mostly talking. I'll tell you about it when I get done with this phone call."

"A phone call? You're not the type to be bothered when you're not working. Is it Helix?"

"Unfortunately. They're waiting for a report from me, apparently."

For some reason, Lena looked as irritated by this as Fareeha felt. "What do they want? I thought you were on leave after the festival."

"I can only assume that they've been watching the news."

Lena grimaced in response. "They...they won't make an issue of this, will they? You and Mercy, I mean. You're not in trouble for it, are you?"

"For their sakes, I hope not."

Fareeha's expression turned grim as she once again thought about the call that she was about to make. There were no guarantees that the call was about anything other than mere curiosity, but there was no denying the potential for a problem, especially where Fawzy was concerned. Lena was momentarily struck silent in her surprise at Fareeha's stern response and sudden change of expression. It wasn't until the elevator doors opened and Fareeha stepped out that she was able to manage a response as she blinked ahead to catch up.

"You know, I reckon I was right about you."

"What do you mean?"

Lena smiled and shook her head. "Never mind. Just hurry and get this thing with Helix sorted. You're done after that, right?"

"As far as I know."

Fareeha felt uneasy as she thought about the possibility of another surprise, but she quickly dismissed it. It wouldn't do to appear to be nervous or upset in front of Fawzy. Any of her other superiors would be merely confused or concerned as it was quite unlike her, but Fawzy picked up on signs of weakness like a shark smelling blood in the water. As they entered her hotel room, Fareeha looked around and tried to remember where she had last left her dress uniform. The events of the day before seemed as far behind her as memories of her childhood now that she was fully immersed in thinking of the future. Just as her mind started to once again drift back to Angela's suite, she jumped as Lena blinked in front of her, a long black garment bag in hand.

"I'm guessing this is what you're after."

Fareeha opened the garment bag and, to her surprise, her dress uniform was inside, freshly laundered and pressed. "How...how did you know I would need it?"

Lena smiled and shrugged as she took a seat on the bed. "I didn't, really. I just know how you are about your uniforms. I ran across it when we were cleaning up yesterday and figured I'd get it taken care of. The hotel is to thank, to be honest."

Fareeha shook her head. The words she wanted were no closer to coming out than they ever were, but she refused to remain silent in the face of the surge of emotions inside her that were coming to the surface. "No...I owe you. Truly. You've done more for me in the last day than most people have done for me in my entire life."

Lena tried to restrain a smile as she began to turn red. "Come on, love, it's not that serious."

Fareeha shook her head again as she started digging through dresser drawers for a set of the more familiar and comfortable sports bras and compression shorts she was used to wearing. "Don't be so sure of that. Genuine kindness isn't something I encounter often. It's something that usually only comes as part of an arrangement, so I make it a point to remember when I find it with no strings attached. There's my mother, Helix, Angela and you...so I'm sure I'm not confusing it for anything else. Thank you, Lena...for everything."

Lena fidgeted as the red tint became more pronounced on her skin. "I...I'm just glad to help, Pharah."

Fareeha smiled as she took her clothes from Lena and made her way to the bathroom. "I know. That's why I appreciate it so much."

She closed the bathroom door behind her and started to undress. She took off the jewelry and put it on the countertop next to the sink, then she quickly took off her clothes and threw the dress and lacy undergarments into a corner, glad to finally be free of them. She surprised herself when she unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped into the shower. The good memories she had of her time wearing them had long ago outweighed the bad, but it certainly wasn't what she considered comfortable. The thought of the tidy dress uniform and the undergarments that kept everything stable and in their proper places gave her a peace of mind that she had never taken notice of before she found herself spending a day wearing something so different. She hadn't been paying much attention to it before in the interest of keeping herself focused on ensuring that the evening went well, but the thought of so much bouncing with every step and the nearly complete lack of a feeling of significant support was maddening. It had been well worth the discomfort given that Angela had reacted favorably to her appearance, but it was also a great relief that Angela had been expecting her to turn up wearing what she always did. _I suppose that is just one more thing that makes her special. She appreciates the effort, but that doesn't make her try to turn me into something that I'm not._

Fareeha had intended to take her time in the shower. She was already late for the call, so there was no sense in passing up the opportunity to put her mind and body at ease. Despite her desire to take it easy and go back to bed, thinking of the task ahead only ruined the moment. It was a job that needed to be completed and would only continue to hang over her head until it was dealt with. Irritated that her moment of peace had been disrupted, she rushed through her shower as quickly as she could, though she took special care to do the job thoroughly. She wasn't dressing up again, but the day ahead was still quite special. In spite of nicking herself several times with her razor in her haste, she was quite glad to have the job done and wasted no time getting dressed. She smiled at herself in the mirror as she gave herself a quick inspection before leaving the bathroom. Standing there in her dress uniform, she felt more confident than she had in the last full day. She was back in her element, dressed appropriately to meet a familiar task that she fully understood.

As she left the bathroom and walked around the corner, Lena looked up with a concerned expression. "You look better, love, but not quite well. Are you sure you're up to this?"

"It doesn't matter whether I'm up to it or not. It has to get done, and it has to get done now."

Lena still looked concerned, but the response pulled a smile from her. "Well, you sure sound like yourself again."

Fareeha shrugged as she sat in a chair in front of a desk in the corner of the hotel room and pulled up Lieutenant Colonel Fawzy's contact information on the screen of the room's private terminal. "That will have to do. Give me just a few minutes. This shouldn't take long." _I hope._

Lena stepped out of the camera's view as Fareeha placed the call and waited patiently for it to connect. She couldn't help admiring Fareeha's determination and calm under adversity. It was the first thing about the famous Pharah that drew her attention. Nothing ever stopped her from taking on whatever challenge was in front of her. She'd seen for herself how Fareeha was driven to the point of being seemingly incapable of feeling pain when there was a mission to be completed. It was awe-inspiring, but it also made sense in a way. Ana was the only other one she had ever seen take her work that seriously. She spent her years in Overwatch surrounded by the world's most elite soldiers, but none of them seemed to have the same talent for ignoring their discomfort the way the Amaris did. It didn't even register in their expressions that they were in any kind of pain. Just minutes ago, Fareeha had walked into the hotel lobby looking as though she may topple over from the strain of simply being awake, but now she looked as though she was ready to charge into battle.

Though she was trying to stay out of the camera's view, Lena couldn't resist peeking at the screen when she heard the announcement that the call would be connected momentarily. The Helix Security International logo was displayed in the center of the screen with a message beneath stating that a call was being placed to the public relations office. "That's Fawzy again, isn't it? All she handles is PR, right? I didn't think she'd be busy enough to have to put you on hold this early in the morning."

"I doubt that she is. It's more likely that she just doesn't want to seem like it."

Lena restrained a laugh as she continued watching the screen. She had only met Lieutenant Colonel Fawzy once during the negotiations over Fareeha's contract, but she had definitely given the impression of someone that cared about people's perception of her above all else. Though she resisted the urge to ask, Lena distinctly remembered wondering if that wasn't how she ended up in charge of public relations. More than that, she wondered how someone that self absorbed ever managed to become a Lieutenant Colonel. She came across as completely lacking in substance and far too delicate to have ever lived the life of a soldier. Facing someone like Fareeha, Lena almost felt sorry for her.

The screen blinked for a moment before Fawzy came into view. She looked the same as Lena remembered, with her dress uniform as meticulously pressed as Fareeha's and her long black hair pulled neatly into a bun behind her head without as much as a single hair out of place. She adjusted her oval framed glasses as she turned to face the camera and terminal screen on her desk. _She actually seems like you can take her seriously until she starts talking._ Her carefully composed smug expression was disrupted when Fareeha's sharp gaze came into view. She was clearly startled, but she quickly closed her eyes and loudly cleared her throat in an attempt to get past the moment unnoticed. Lena had to restrain another laugh when she saw Fawzy nervously look at her screen again. _She doesn't know how far out of her league she is, does she?_

"Captain Amari...where have you been?" Lena was unsettled by the unnecessarily stern tone of her voice. Though Fareeha seemed confident that she had done nothing wrong, Fawzy seemed to already be accusing her of something.

"On leave, Colonel Fawzy." Unlike Fawzy, Fareeha didn't seem to move a muscle other than to respond to the question asked of her. Lena was amazed by the fact that she didn't seem the least bit bothered. If anything, she looked bored as she waited for a response.

"I've been attempting to contact you regarding your recent...exploits. Your name has been coming up constantly in the news. Very little of it seems to have anything to do with the festival."

"Is there a problem, ma'am?"

Fawzy appeared to be unnerved by Fareeha's lack of a reaction. She continued, but the harshness in her tone seemed to have been drained from her voice. "Not at the moment, no. My concern is that this needs to continue to be the case. You are on leave, but you are still charged with the task of increasing public approval of Helix Security International."

"Do you have specific instructions as to how I accomplish this task?" Fareeha struggled for a moment to maintain her composure. She was starting to feel ridiculous for having been so nervous about this call. The memory of Fawzy's persona was far more troubling than Fawzy herself.

"Not exactly. The purpose of this call is to be absolutely certain I understand the situation. Your meeting with Doctor Ziegler last night was romantic in nature, was it not?"

"Yes, ma'am." Fareeha had to consciously remind herself to not breathe a sigh of relief. She was expecting the tension of nervous energy in her stomach to return when she said it, but it was nowhere near as intense as she was expecting it to be. Declaring her feelings for Angela was somehow much less intimidating when she was doing so as part of a report to a superior.

"And your late departure from her hotel this morning...is this related to your meeting last night?"

"Yes, ma'am." For a brief moment, Fareeha understood why Angela wasn't bothered by people's assumptions about what passed between them the night before. Though it was obvious what was being implied, the thought was hardly troubling even though it was largely inaccurate.

"It is troubling what this could potentially mean for our public image. For the time being, you are the face of Helix Security International. We don't want people to get the wrong idea about your character."

"Is there a problem caused by my being in a relationship with someone, ma'am?"

"Not as long as you are, in fact, in a relationship. Of the talk that has been going around, the most troubling has been some of the rumors surfacing about the doctor's past romantic involvements. Merely gossip from fan sites, I'm sure, especially considering that few of these stories are any more recent than her days as a university student. Still, part of my job is taking any and all potential complications into account, so I must ask if there is any validity to the claims that Doctor Ziegler has...questionable morals regarding her romantic entanglements."

Fareeha's gaze turned icy. Fawzy held her breath for a moment and, though she tried to hide her shock, she was betrayed by her eyes when they went slightly wider. "It has been my experience that Doctor Ziegler's morals are unquestionable. As for her past, I cannot speak from personal experience and am not inclined to speculate."

"Y—yes...of course." Fawzy was clearly torn between playing the role of an unshakeable superior officer and needing a moment to compose herself. "W—well, that is...reasonable. I still must express my concerns regarding this relationship, small though they may be. Should you appear to the public to be in a stable relationship, it can only help our public image. If you have any reason to believe that this could be a mere fling, however, I insist that you inform me at once. Distancing yourself from her will take time, so it would be best to start immediately."

For the first time, Fareeha showed a visible reaction. It was a simple raising of the eyebrows, but it was unmistakable to Fawzy even before Fareeha responded that she had made a terrible mistake. "I have no reason whatsoever to believe this to be the case, ma'am. I believe Doctor Ziegler's character to be impeccable and have yet to be given reason to believe otherwise. Far more important is that to anyone with any sense, her reputation as a healer, scholar and selfless philanthropist speaks for itself. Surely that excludes those that would see anything negative in my relationship with her over nothing more than rumors."

Though her speech was as formal as ever, the edge in Fareeha's tone was clear. Fawzy didn't seem to remember to be offended by it as she rushed to settle the matter. "O—of course, Captain. Please, do not misunderstand my intentions. I am only acting in the best interest of Helix by considering the possibility. I do not mean to call Doctor Ziegler's character into question myself, nor do I have any desire to make you angry."

"Of course. However, if one of these people attempts to interfere with my relationship with Doctor Ziegler over mere gossip and unfounded speculation, it will be far worse than my simply being angry. Ma'am."

Fawzy's initial attempts to appear to be an intimidating authority figure were entirely lost as her eyes went wide. She nervously fidgeted and needlessly adjusted her glasses for a moment before nodding. "Understandable, Captain. Do you have anything else of significance to report regarding the matter? Anything that you feel may be of concern?" Her eyes went from nervous to suspiciously shrewd in an instant. She seemed to be thinking for a moment before adding, "you may speak freely, of course."

"No, ma'am. Unless you have any further questions, I have nothing more to add."

Fawzy looked disappointed by the response. "No, no further questions. Taking everything into account, it is my decision that you should be seen with Doctor Ziegler as much as possible. News of the relationship between the two of you will undoubtedly have a positive impact on public opinion of the cooperation between Helix and Overwatch. Enjoy the rest of your leave, Captain."

The screen blinked again as the call disconnected and once again displayed the Helix Security International logo. Fareeha closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she turned the terminal off. She was pleased to have the ordeal behind her and even more pleased that it had been brief, but it had been exhausting. Worse than that, she was still seething. The implications being made were nearly too much for her to endure calmly. Fawzy spoke of her relationship with Angela as though it were a thing to be discarded when it became inconvenient. More than that, she was as concerned with rumors and gossip as the people Angela had spent so much of her life trying to escape. Even if she were feeling entirely well and able to properly process it all, it would have enraged her.

"Are you alright, Pharah?"

Lena's voice broke through the thick haze of fatigue and anger clouding Fareeha's thoughts. "Yes...I'm fine."

"Better than her, I imagine. She looked like she was about to piss herself."

Lena wasn't at all convinced, but she let the matter drop. She hadn't known Fareeha personally for very long, but she knew her well enough to know how hard she was capable of pushing herself. No matter how she was feeling, she was never likely to admit that anything was bothering her. That being the case, if she was under some sort of strain, she didn't need to also be bothered with constantly denying it. _She's so much like her mum, I could almost swear I was talking to her._ With the obvious need for a change of subject, Lena turned her attention away from the toll that the call took on Fareeha and toward the conversation itself.

"I wasn't supposed to hear any of that, was I?"

Fareeha shrugged, then stood and started crossing the room. "She didn't ask if anyone was listening. As you're part of the negotiations between Overwatch and Helix, I saw no reason to bring it up."

"But...she was assuming that the call was private, right?"

"Exactly. Helix has no end of code words and pass phrases to ensure that a connection is secure beyond our encryption software. She failed to employ a single one of them. It's unfortunate that she's so inept, but I see no reason to help her do her job."

Lena replayed the beginning of the call in her mind. She was surprised to remember that there was no opening to the conversation; it started with questioning Fareeha's whereabouts in an accusatory tone. Curious as to whether or not she'd missed something in the news coverage that may have given her cause to be suspicious, she pulled out her phone and started scrolling through the news feeds again. "I guess she was in too big a rush to assign blame. What was that about, anyway? You weren't in trouble, were you?"

Fareeha sighed as she opened up a wardrobe and pulled out her suitcase. "No. She's just the type to hope that I wouldn't notice."

Lena couldn't help laughing. It sounded ridiculous, but it certainly fit the impression she had of Fawzy. "And what was that about not wanting to call Mercy's character into question? Isn't that exactly what she was doing when she asked you about it?"

Fareeha sighed again as she made her way back to the drawer holding her undergarments and started picking them up. It was nice to have someone openly agree with her disgust of Fawzy, but it was also tiring to keep hearing about it now that it was over. "That's just what she does. She's not the type to admit that she's made a mistake. She'll just pretend that it never happened. She knew better, but there was no way she was about to pass up an opportunity to have gossip confirmed. She passes it off as being part of her job, but I'm pretty sure she just enjoys knowing about matters that don't concern her and gauging people's reactions to them. As much as I hate to admit it, but of all of the people working for Helix, she's probably the best suited for the job."

"And what was that about having permission to speak freely? It hardly seems like you needed it at that point. Is that just her way of reminding you who's in charge?"

"Possibly, but I doubt it in this case. I've heard of her doing that before. She can't reprimand you for what you say after having given permission, but you make her little revenge list and can expect to have trouble from her later if you say something that she doesn't like."

"How did someone like her ever last long enough to make Lieutenant Colonel?"

"I can only assume that it's because Helix is a business as much as a military organization. I hear that she's not entirely useless in a fight, but her greatest talents by far are following orders, sticking her nose where it doesn't belong and worrying about what people think of her. I don't like it, but to be fair, that's saved Helix quite a bit of trouble from the public in recent years. The fact of the matter is that she's good for business. That was my initial assessment, at least; honestly, I've long since given up on wondering about it." Fareeha thought for a minute and a grim expression darkened her features. "I just make it a point to remember who I'm dealing with. My problems with Fawzy haven't ended until this transition to Overwatch is complete. Even then, I'll be working for Helix in a lesser capacity so I'll surely have to deal with her from time to time. She won't forget that this conversation didn't go her way."

"Is she gonna be a problem? I mean, why provoke her?"

"She was speaking badly of Angela. The fight won't end anytime soon, but if I'm going to be working with her, it's important to make my stance on the matter clear."

Lena finally looked up from her phone at the sound of Fareeha's response. Something in her tone was off that it had taken her a while to notice. She sounded less exhausted and more irritated with every response. She was pleased that her assessment of Fareeha seemed to be accurate, but this didn't seem like a good time to bring it up. Quickly deciding that another change of subject was in order, she turned her attention to the suitcase that Fareeha was slowly filling with clothing. "So...what's on the agenda now?"

The question made Fareeha stop cold. A telltale blush forming on her face made it easy for Lena to guess what she was about to say. "I'm...well...heading back. To Angela's suite, that is."

Reminded of the answers that Fareeha promised her earlier, Lena smiled widely as she threw her phone aside. The only thing stopping her from immediately beginning her line of questions was being reminded of a question she'd been trying to remember to ask for most of the night after Fareeha left. "Why did she rent a room when she lives here?"

"She said that she wanted the evening to be special."

With nothing else to derail her, Lena immediately began asking for every minute detail of the evening as she helped Fareeha put clothing into the suitcase. The next hour passed with continuous conversation as the suitcase lay forgotten. Though it was exhausting and often embarrassing, Fareeha was surprised to find that she enjoyed recounting the events of the evening before. She was soon lost in remembering every exhilarating moment that had passed between herself and Angela from the time she walked out of her bedroom. Despite the haze left behind in her mind by the wine from the night before, she recalled every taste and touch as though it had been minutes ago rather than hours. More than enjoying the memories, Fareeha found herself enjoying being able to share the experience with someone she considered to be a friend. Every moment she explained was followed by a gasp or a squeal from Lena and a thorough analysis of what Angela must have been thinking or feeling at the time. The only time that Fareeha was light on the details was when she told Lena about how they'd discussed their past relationships with each other. It was still painful to remember, but Fareeha didn't mind sharing the details of her past with Lena. Going into detail about Angela's past, however, seemed inappropriate. Lena seemed to agree; it was the only time that she didn't ask for more information. Though Fareeha couldn't say why, she was enjoying the time she was spending sharing her evening with Lena. It wasn't until she a clock on the wall chime as the time reached ten o'clock that she remembered that she hadn't finished packing.

Lena could only smile at Fareeha's excitement to get back to Angela. Looking around the room for anything that might end up forgotten, she caught sight of a sturdy black case sitting near the wardrobe. "Don't forget to change your prosthetics. Do you need any help getting them on?"

Fareeha again thought back to her evening with Angela. The simple subtleties of the sensation of silk beneath her fingertips and Angela's smooth and delicate skin were burned into her mind; it was upsetting to think that she had nearly missed out on them. "N—no, I think I'll keep wearing these for a while."

Lena raised an eyebrow. "How come?"

Unable to find a way to avoid saying what she was thinking, Fareeha looked down at her hands as her face quickly changed from mocha to burgundy. "I think these are more appropriate. They're more...sensitive."

Lena's mind immediately went back to the detail with which Fareeha had described the sensations she experienced when Angela had first taken her hand. It was no mean feat, but Lena resisted the urge to tease Fareeha about it and instead made her way to the bathroom to pack toiletries away. _She's been through enough this morning and has a big day ahead of her. I shouldn't be taking the mick out of her...for now, anyway. She doesn't need anymore stress, really._ Thinking of this as she walked into the bathroom and picked up the toiletry bag on the counter, she packed the makeup and jewelry from the night before at the bottom of the bag. _She won't want to think about it, but I'm hoping she'll need these again._

Several minutes later, Lena returned from the bathroom with the toiletry bag, full nearly to bursting. As Fareeha was thanking her and taking the bag, she noticed that Lena was holding the golden locket and the fragrance bottle from the previous evening in her opposite hand.

"What are those for?"

"Trust me, you'll want to wear them out."

Fareeha looked at the small bottle of perfume with its shining silver top and glass bottle wrapped in what appeared to be black rubber. She thought about how close Angela had been all night long and wondered if it wasn't to thank. It hardly seemed that a fragrance could be the sole reason for it, but when she thought of the effect that Angela's perfume had on her, she admitted to herself that it didn't seem to be hurting, either. It was certainly a positive experience for her. Smelling Angela's perfume was the first pleasant thought she'd had that morning. Thinking about that moment, Fareeha was reminded of the first thing that Angela had said to her. She hadn't understood all of it and was too disoriented to give it much thought until now.

"You said that you know some German, didn't you?"

"A little. Why?"

"Something Angela said when I woke up. She said 'good morning,' but then she said something I didn't catch. It sounded like... _mine leeba_. Do you have any idea what that means?"

Smiling widely and suddenly unable to keep still, Lena started grabbing Fareeha's clothes and quickly throwing them into the open suitcase. "It means that we need to hurry up and get you back to Mercy's."

Fareeha was curious, but after everything that had happened since she woke up, she was too tired to argue. She took the bottle and jewelry and headed to the bathroom to put them both on. When she came back out a moment later, Lena gave her a curious look.

"Where's the locket?"

"It's under my shirt. Having jewelry displayed while in uniform is against regulations."

Lena was about to argue, but the thought of the locket beneath her uniform caused her to smile as she imagined the moment when Angela finally saw it again. "Yeah...I think that will work out better, actually."

"Better? How?"

"You'll see."

Fareeha was about to insist on being let in on the secret, but the mischievous smile on Lena's face made her decide that she'd rather not know. Putting the thought aside, she reached out for the handle of her suitcase, but Lena immediately stopped her.

"Don't worry about that. I'll have someone send your things along."

"Why?"

"People's imaginations are already running wild as is. Trust me, love, you don't want to help them along. It's best to make it look like you're just out for an afternoon stroll."

"Even though we all already know that isn't true?"

" _Especially_ because we all already know that isn't true."

Fareeha couldn't make sense of the logic, but it all seemed like a matter of public relations, which meant that she was outside of her areas of expertise. More than that, she certainly didn't want to be bothered with any of it. It seemed best to simply trust Lena's judgement. Thinking about that brought a question to mind that she seemed likely to be able to answer.

"Do you think that my dress uniform might be a bit too much? Angela seemed to want to take it easy today. Maybe I should wear something a bit more casual."

Lena smiled and shook her head. "You didn't hear it from me, but Mercy loves to see you in uniform. Tell her that you'll change when your things get there. Just make sure you wear the first thing you see when you open the suitcase."

Fareeha was about to ask, but Lena's smile again made her think better of it. She instead decided to simply trust her judgement when the time came. _It's brought me this far, after all...no sense in getting suspicious about it now._ Though she had made her decision, she still wrestled with her curiosity and a slowly building nervousness that caused her stomach to churn in protest. It wasn't until Lena spoke again that she realized that she was wasting time.

"Come on...let's get you back to Mercy's. She's been waiting long enough."

Fareeha's mind immediately switched tracks. In an instant, the unpleasantness of the morning was finally behind her and she could focus on the day ahead. Remembering speaking to Angela on her way out, she pulled out her phone and sent a quick message to say that she was on her way back. She only vaguely remembered the breakfast that would be waiting for her that was the reason for the message as she thought about walking through Angela's door again. She turned to Lena and, between still thinking of seeing Angela again and being once again overcome with gratitude, she struggled to find the words for the moment.

"Lena...again, everything you've done—"

"Don't worry about it! I'm happy to help." Lena cut her off and hugged her tightly. Fareeha was initially startled by the gesture, but after a moment returned it. _This is...nice. Is this what it's like having friends?_

Lena quickly let her go and started turning her around toward the hotel room door. "Come on, now, no more stalling. Mercy, remember? Just call me when you get a chance and let me know how it's going."

Her mind once again focused solely on the future, Fareeha nodded and started walking toward the door. The few steps felt as long as they had the night before as she was preparing to have what was certainly no longer just dinner. Just like that moment, she was preparing for what was no longer just a vacation. _This is it. It's really happening, isn't it? This...this is where everything begins._


	15. Queen's Gambit

_Author's note: It's been rough getting this chapter done as I settle into my new routine, but I'm refusing to not get it done. Even though it's difficult, I think I'm starting to get a feel for balancing my new daily responsibilities and my writing. It's difficult to write when I find the time rather than just setting aside an entire day to get a chapter done as I have a hard time focusing on the flood of ideas coming to me when I have to go hours between writing single paragraphs. I think I've got it down, though; I'll be trying a few things to attempt to adjust my writing process to this new routine and work around it._

 _I want to again thank all of the friends that continue to keep me occupied when the frustration gets the better of me and I need some time to clear my head. I also want to again thank everyone for sending along their best wishes and support as I work through all of this. As of right now, I'm planning on spending the rest of my weekend getting the next chapter ready to upload on either Sunday or Monday._

 _1\. "Comin' Home" by Hum_

 _Nine seventeen._

Angela sat on the sofa in her suite, staring blankly at the time displayed on the tablet that she had been using the night before. Though she had just sent Fareeha off minutes earlier, Angela was checking her watch for the third time since she'd forced herself to allow her to walk away. She felt ridiculous for feeling so apprehensive, but it was all but impossible for her to view the situation logically. She knew that Fareeha was just going back to her hotel room to place a business call and it couldn't have been more clear that she wasn't going to be wasting any time or effort in putting it behind her and returning. Despite that, Angela felt uneasy. The single bedroom suite suddenly felt like a vast, echoing cavern now that she was alone in it. Only minutes earlier, it was full of life and an air of hopeful anticipation. Now, however, the single bedroom suite felt cold and empty. She had the feeling that she was in a vast, echoing cavern now that she was alone. _It just feels...wrong._ Somewhere in the back of her mind, she managed to spare enough room in her thoughts to be amazed that she'd gotten so attached to the idea of having Fareeha there.

With logic having failed her, Angela used the tablet to watch the morning news simply for something to do. It was a part of her daily routine to start her day with getting caught up with everything of significance that had happened in the world since she'd gone to bed. Though she couldn't have cared any less this morning, it would hopefully at least keep her thoughts occupied long enough for her to get her head on straight and make a business call of her own. As she started scrolling through news feeds for a familiar outlet, her thoughts were almost immediately derailed as her eyes were drawn to the sunlight glinting off of the ice bucket still sitting on the coffee table. Looking at the bottles sitting in the polished steel bucket now filled with water, a moment of curiosity led her to pick them up and shake them. Hearing splashing coming from inside of one of them, she took a closer look at the bottom and found nearly enough wine for a full glass. Though it seemed like shamefully terrible form to wake up drinking, she couldn't deny that she was relieved to find that the bottle wasn't entirely empty. More than that, dealing with the fact that there was no one around to see her was what made her think of it in the first place. Shaking the melted ice from the bottom of the bottle, she poured the wine into the empty glass she had been using the night before. The lukewarm wine had lost much of its appeal as it sat there throughout the night, but it was enough to help calm her nerves.

Again, Angela felt foolish for being so desperate to see Fareeha. Worse, she was vaguely reminded of her past and the way that she threw herself into her relationships. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she waited for the wave of panic to pass before considering the memories again. It was difficult to think about them again, but it was entirely necessary. For the first time that she could remember aside from the night before, Angela was refusing to turn her thoughts away from her past mistakes. The possibility that she was repeating them was far worse than simply remembering them. Despite her best efforts to draw parallels between the past and the present, however, she couldn't make a definitive comparison between the two. It just wasn't the same. Even after considering the thought that every new relationship felt different, the likes of Audrey and Julia simply couldn't be compared to what she had now with Fareeha. Though the thought had occurred to her in the past, she was relieved to once again think that the problem wasn't that she was overlooking warning signs; they simply weren't there to be found.

Having spent several minutes staring blankly at the screen and not taking in anything that she had seen, Angela jumped in surprise when she heard her own name called. She was surprised to find that she had tuned in to one of the news stations covering the continuing story of her date. _Still? Surely something of more significance has happened in the last full day._ Though her immediate reaction was annoyance, curiosity compelled her to wonder what they could still be finding that was worth reporting. She watched as a man standing near the front doors of her hotel spoke in German, doing his best to be heard above the relatively small crowd that had gathered around him. He spoke endlessly about the events of the previous evening and repeated the speculation from several of her more popular fansites outside of the front doors of her hotel. Rather than saying anything of importance, he seemed almost bored, as though he was reading from a prepared script that he had been rereading for hours. As she thought about it, Angela wondered if that wasn't the case. It seemed as though he was merely stalling for time while waiting for something worth reporting to happen. Thinking about this, a thought occurred to Angela as she checked the time again. Fareeha had only left her several minutes earlier. Factoring in the time it would take for her to make her way to the lobby and the several minutes of broadcast delay, it was likely that, to the audience, she would be stepping through the front doors of the hotel at any moment. Angela's irritation was immediately forgotten as she sat up straight and stared at the tablet intently with new interest. As if on cue, the reporter stopped in the middle of his sentence in response to a growing commotion in the crowd.

Angela's troubles were suddenly a distant memory as she saw a harassed Fareeha slowly making her way out of the hotel doors. She politely gave a practiced wave to people calling her name as her driver and a hotel employee shielded her from the crowd slowly closing in on them. Despite her best effort to look friendly, however, it was clear that she had just put a long night behind her. Her face was clean and her hair was again immaculate, but her dress still displayed a menagerie of wrinkles and she looked utterly exhausted. Dark circles under her eyes made it clear that despite being up and about, her actions went entirely against her desires. More than anything else, she was clearly still the Fareeha that Angela knew so well, uncomfortable with both crowds of people she didn't know and being the center of attention. Even though Angela's heart ached at the thought of Fareeha's dismay, she found it impossible to not smile at the sight. More than once, she had spent late nights replaying news footage of the legendary Pharah in the wake of reports of her most recent successful mission. Though it seemed odd to Angela at the time that Helix would be willing to disclose quite so much information about their operations to the public, she couldn't help being grateful for the chance to see her Fareeha again as she anxiously awaited her next leave and the next vacation they would have to spend together.

All too soon, Fareeha had made her way through the crowd and was hidden behind the tinted rear windows of her transport. As the reporter started a new round of speculation based on Fareeha's fatigued appearance and morning departure, Angela tossed the tablet aside in frustration. It was infuriating to hear people attempt to use the two of them as a means of making their wild fantasies a reality. _It is the same as it has been since upper secondary. People never change very much, do they?_ Worse than that, she found herself once again left alone with her thoughts. She almost wished that the wild accusations being tossed around were enough to hold her attention; it would have nearly been better than once again finding herself frustrated with not knowing how much longer it would take for this time to pass. Once again simply looking for something to do to pass the time, Angela attempted to guess at how much time was left before Fareeha returned. She quickly reviewed what little she knew about the call that Fareeha was returning home to make and remembered the name Fawzy and that the call had something to do with the company image.

Angela's face turned into a grimace as she remembered the one time she found herself speaking with Fawzy. As much as she detested the woman, she was amazed that she hadn't immediately recognized the name when she first saw Fareeha's message even in spite of the after effect of the wine. Despite her neat and orderly appearance, Fawzy proved herself to be a horrid woman inside of only a few sentences. As Angela had first recommended Fareeha to Overwatch and was acting as her sponsor, she had directly done much of the early negotiation with Helix regarding her contract. At one point, that meant meeting with the head of their public relations department. As she and Fareeha sat in the small office, Fawzy questioned them both about every minute detail of Overwatch. Being the head of public relations, Angela had been expecting it to an extent as it was necessary to understand as much as possible about Overwatch if it was to be determined how being associated with them would affect Helix's public image. Despite the professional tone of the conversation in the beginning, however, the questions quickly turned into an attempt to dredge up material for cheap gossip. Angela had done her best to politely deflect questions about the personal lives of the members, but Fawzy either didn't recognize the attempted diplomacy or didn't care. The mining for details about the personal lives of Overwatch agents seemed to go on for hours. Fawzy asked about everything from Lena's favorite foods to exactly how the Horizon Lunar Colony fell. Angela felt like she was being interviewed by a reporter from a celebrity gossip site to have so many seemingly inconsequential questions leveled at her.

It was merely annoying until the questions started becoming more personal. Hearing Fawzy ask exactly what happened to Amélie Lacroix made Angela's blood run cold; she could feel the carefully maintained polite smile on her face fall apart in an instant. The best response she could manage was to state that the matter was classified and suggest that they discuss matters that were public knowledge and directly affected Fareeha and Helix. Angela got a sinking feeling that suggested that Fawzy had failed to take the hint when apparent curiosity caused her face to light up. She was glad that she was sitting at the time; the next words out of Fawzy's mouth asked if there was any truth behind the rumors that Jack Morrison was Fareeha's biological father. Ignoring the chill that ran through her, she looked to Fareeha, more out of fear than curiosity. The sight was far worse than what she imagined. Fareeha was entirely silent, but her glare was utterly terrifying despite being directed at Fawzy rather than at her. Her carbon fiber hands gripped the wooden arms of her chair so tightly that she could hear the wood splintering underneath her fingers. For the first time since Angela met her, she became the voice of reason between the two of them. She scrambled to recall the official prepared response to such inquiries and stammered a reply, stating that Overwatch didn't keep official records of the details of agents' personal lives and that it was best to direct such questions to the agents themselves. Angela regretted having suggested it as soon as she got the words out, but it didn't seem to matter. In the time that she had been speaking, Fawzy had followed her gaze to Fareeha's face and seemed to be completely paralyzed with fright. As near as Angela could tell, Fawzy hadn't heard a word that she'd said. She only stared back at Fareeha, unable to tear her gaze away as she visibly trembled. She looked like a rabbit that had been cornered by a wolf. Angela was thoroughly disgusted with Fawzy at this point after hearing her ask about a subject that even she never brought up herself. Still, it was difficult to not feel pity for her as the seconds of silence turned into minutes. Though Fawzy had finally managed to look away from Fareeha, she was now merely looking down at her desk and clearly attempting to control her breathing. It took several minutes for her to finally manage to begin speaking again. Even then, she only spoke just above a whisper long enough to say that she was satisfied and signed a document officially giving her approval for continuing negotiations with Overwatch. It took several attempts to sign the document as her hand was shaking too violently to keep the pen in her hand steady.

Angela suddenly recalled the panic that had run through her earlier that morning when she saw the message from Fawzy that caused Fareeha to return to her hotel room to return her call. The thought that someone was already potentially attempting to interfere with her relationship with Fareeha made her blood boil, but at the time she was afraid that it might actually happen. Thinking of Fareeha's passionate response to that concern and remembering the history of her interactions with Fawzy made Angela feel ridiculous for ever thinking that it may have been a possibility. It was laughable to think that Fareeha would be talked out of what she wanted and she'd made it clear that what she wanted was Angela. Not only that, but it was just as hard to imagine that Fareeha would ever lose an argument to Fawzy. Angela laughed aloud, suddenly feeling some measure of sympathy for Fawzy as she thought about the conversation that she would be having with Fareeha at any moment. Weeks after their meeting, Angela was finally sure that Fareeha was calm enough for her to ask if she'd had any further trouble from Fawzy. Fareeha had said that Fawzy was as pompous and arrogant as ever, but she was obviously more careful in choosing her words. If she was having any thoughts of attempting to talk Fareeha out of this relationship, at the very least her sense of self-preservation would make her keep them to herself.

Still laughing, Angela felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Though she still felt uneasy without Fareeha around, it was much easier for her to focus on the future. In the time it took for her to go back to her hotel, change into her dress uniform and return a phone call, she would be on her way back with luggage in tow. A new kind of nervousness flooded Angela as she drained the wine glass and carefully stood to make her way to the bathroom to shower. Though it was certainly necessary, she regretted having to wash away the night before. She could just barely detect the fragrance of Fareeha's perfume in her hair from the night that she'd spent in bed with her head resting on the lace that covered Fareeha's chest. She intended to rush through the shower and make herself presentable for her call to the French embassy as quickly as she could, though she wasn't nearly as interested in the work as she was in getting it done. She didn't want there to be anything else to get in the way of the remainder of her vacation after Fareeha arrived. Doing her best to ignore the throbbing in her head, she quickly reviewed every polite and professional way of stalling for time that she had ever used. With the rumors that were circulating, it was going to be obvious why she was delaying further conversation despite the importance of the topics of discussion, but that did nothing to change her course of action. It would be difficult, but it was of the utmost importance that she simultaneously express an interest in continuing the discussion and put it off until after her vacation. _Whatever I say, it all translates to, "Fareeha comes first. The rest of the world will have to wait."_

Nearly an hour later, Angela was again sitting on the sofa and feeling robbed of her strength. The conversation had gone quite well; she was expecting that her immediate attention would be demanded as usual given that the French ambassador had been so quick to drop everything to speak with her when she called, but he seemed to be quite understanding about her wanting to wait for a later date to continue the discussion. If anything, he seemed to be amused. He wore a smile throughout the conversation that suggested that he was only just barely managing to keep his excitement under control. Angela could only assume that he'd been following the news reports of the previous evening as closely as everyone else was. It was hard to be irritated by the thought, however, as it seemed to have worked in her favor. She found herself suddenly hopeful that Fareeha's call was going as well as her own.

Checking her messages again, Angela groaned when she saw that she'd missed another three calls and seventeen more messages from colleagues, both past and present. They all seemed to follow the same theme as the ones she read when she first woke up, the intent to ask for a detailed account of her evening with Fareeha thinly veiled by a business letter format and suggestions of a desire to discuss "matters of importance" at her earliest convenience. _So much for the bright side of gossip._ Putting her irritation aside, she quickly drafted a form letter stating that she would be unavailable until she returned from her personal holiday. She replied with it to all of the messages that she'd already gotten , then set the letter to automatically respond to any messages that arrived before she returned to work. She breathed a sigh of relief as she found herself finally able to put the thought behind her. As any messages of any significance would come through on either her personal line or a separate line dedicated to Overwatch, it was a relief to not have to worry about anyone else that might start pestering her. Though it was finally behind her, she was still annoyed by the thought. She immediately went to work cleaning up the mess that she'd been too exhausted to consider the night before just to force her mind elsewhere. Though it wasn't much work and she had no desire to do any cleaning now, either, she didn't want to wait until the last minute to get started on it. Fareeha would be heading her way soon and, though she wanted the day to be as casual and relaxed as possible, she still wanted everything to be perfect.

Just as she was picking up the Eiswein bottles, she heard the speakers in the suite chime to announce an incoming message. She groaned loudly, regretting having relaxed quite so soon. _I must have put a hex on myself._ Her annoyance was immediately replaced with curiosity as the voice came through the speakers.

"Incoming message from Lena Oxton."

Angela put the bottles down and picked up the tablet to read the message. Curiosity turned to confusion as she read a short list of ingredients. "Vodka, pasteurized eggs, tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper...what on Earth does this mean?"

At the bottom of the list was a short message from Lena. _Get it all if you can. Pharah will know what to do with it. Trust me, she's gonna need it. It probably wouldn't hurt you, either._ Her curiosity was hardly satisfied as she wondered what Fareeha would want with such an odd assortment of things, but she was glad that it wasn't anything more pressing than a grocery list. Before she could relax, however, the speakers chimed again.

"Incoming call from Mei-Ling Zhou."

Angela unconsciously braced herself for another wave of irritation, but it didn't come. Even if it was a business call, it was always nice to hear from Mei. More than that, she would certainly understand that any matters of business could wait until her vacation was over. If she was calling today, it could only be something that couldn't wait. She issued a command to accept the call, then returned to cleaning as two small cameras left their station on a far wall and hovered in front of her face. As it focused on her face, a holographic display flickered to life beneath it showing a smiling Mei sitting behind her desk and the late afternoon sun shining brightly behind her. It was hard for Angela to decide which looked more cheerful.

"Good morning, Doctor Ziegler! I'm sorry to bother you today...do you have a few minutes to spare?"

Angela smiled as her suspicions were confirmed. "Yes, but only a few."

Looking at the bottles she was throwing away and the polished steel bucket on the coffee table behind her, Mei smiled shrewdly. "Does that mean that last night hasn't ended quite yet?"

Angela smiled shyly, surprised by her own reaction to the inquiry. She already knew where it was going, but it wasn't at all annoying coming from Mei. If anything, she was excited to share the information with someone she actually wanted to talk to. "No, not yet. Fareeha had to return to her hotel, but she will be back shortly."

"Oh!" Mei clapped her hands together, her teasing smile replaced with an excited one. "In that case, let me get business out of the way! I just got a call from Winston. It seems that the French embassy just contacted him to schedule a meeting. Since we need at least two senior agents present, he wants me to go with you. I'll only be in Xi'an for a few more days, so I can meet you in Zürich when your holiday ends."

Angela was relieved that it wasn't anything that required her immediate attention, but she couldn't help being curious. "Why did he not contact me directly about it?"

"He said that it wasn't necessary. He...well..." Mei's face took on a red tint as she cleared her throat, stalling for time as she searched for the proper words to continue. "He didn't say much other than that he didn't want to bother you with it just now. He...wasn't really expecting you to be up very early this morning."

Though embarrassed, Angela couldn't help appreciating how considerate Winston was. "I will have to remember to thank him properly. I never considered the possibility before he contacted everyone to recall them, but being in charge seems to suit him."

Mei frowned as she nodded. "I suppose it's necessary since...well...Commander Morrison..."

"I would not worry about that."

Angela's matter-of-fact response caused Mei to raise her eyebrows. "Do you really think that he's still out there?"

"I am certain of it."

"Still, it doesn't help if we don't know where he is."

Angela smiled as she remembered an article that she'd saved recently about a criminal element rapidly losing its grip on a city in Mexico. "I could hazard a guess. Perhaps we could look into it once we've finished with our meeting."

Remembering the meeting, Mei's expression suddenly turned apologetic. "I'm sorry. I wouldn't have called you about that meeting, either, but...well..." She fidgeted uncomfortably, suddenly taking an interest in playing with a pen on her desk.

Angela smiled as she rushed to make it clear that she wasn't being a bother. _I am actually quite glad you called to ask._ "It was a wonderful evening. Your advice is largely to thank for that."

Mei's gloomy expression disappeared in an instant. "Really? She liked the dress, then?"

"Yes, but it was not just the dress. We...had to help each other. I do not know if the night would have been such a success if you had not told me that."

Mei's excitement faltered slightly as her expression turned into one of concern. "Is anything wrong?"

"Yes, but not with the evening. It just seems that we both have circumstances to consider where relationships are concerned."

As she cleaned, Angela gave the most brief account of the evening that she could manage without leaving out anything of importance. She briefly spoke of the conversation that the two of them had about their past and their effect on the present, then quickly explained how that could potentially hinder their progress moving forward. By the time she had finished speaking, she had finished her cleaning and was in the bedroom, moving clothes out of drawers and back into her luggage. She occasionally stopped to inspect clothing, considering it for a moment before shaking her head and placing it into a suitcase.

"What's wrong?"

It wasn't until she heard Mei's question that Angela realized that she had stopped talking and was staring blankly at the blouse in her hands. "It's nothing, really. I was just wondering what to wear when Fareeha comes home."

"Home?"

Angela looked up, her cheeks already turning crimson. It was clear that the damage was done; the mischief in Mei's smile was unmistakable. "Well...when Fareeha returns, she will be bringing some of her things with her. She will be...staying here. With me."

The squeal that Mei let out was startling, but Angela couldn't help smiling. She was pleased that someone was interested in celebrating with her rather than just looking for gossip to spread. Mei took a few seconds to calm herself before looking at the blouse in Angela's hands. "What will you be doing today?"

"Not much of anything, I imagine. We went through quite a bit of wine last night, so neither of us is feeling up to doing much other than going back to bed."

"In that case, you should wear...hmm...how about those?"

Before she could ask, Angela's eyes fell on an open drawer behind her. Remembering the dress from the night before, it wasn't hard to guess what Mei was thinking. "I can't even remember buying those. Wouldn't that be a little...?"

Mei shook her head. "You need a little bait, remember?"

Though she could feel the warmth spreading across her face, Angela couldn't deny that Mei was right the last time she'd said those words. "Well...I suppose...I just need to find something to match them with."

"Excellent!" Mei excitedly clapped her hands together. "Hurry and change! She'll be there soon, won't she?"

Angela glanced at the clock on the wall. "Yes...I hope so. It has been quite a while and she only had one call to place. She will message me when she is on her way." Remembering the conversation, she recalled that there was still something that she needed to do. "Come to think of it, I should let the kitchen know that I'll be ordering brunch."

"Good, good! We'll talk more when your holiday ends...oh! That reminds me...as long as we're dealing with business with the embassy, we should also review some of the candidates for recruitment."

"True, we should not let that go undone for long. We are going to need all of the help we can get. You are sponsoring a candidate, are you not? I believe her name was Aleksandra Zaryanova?"

Mei inexplicably blushed as she nodded. As she opened her mouth to speak, she suddenly looked up and away from her screen when she heard her office door open. Someone was making their way in with a tablet and already starting to give an enthusiastic report when he felt a chill run up his spine. He stopped in the middle of his sentence and looked at Mei, who was looking back at him with an unusually stern stare. His eyes fell on the screen in front of her and went wide. Though it was turned away from him, he could clearly hear Angela asking if everything was alright. Seeing Mei's right hand twitch and the heavy picture frame next to it on her desk, he seemed to change his mind about the importance of his report. He slowly backed out of the office and closed the door, looking as though he'd just narrowly avoided stepping on a snake.

"Mei? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, it was just a report about the status of the cryostasis chamber. I suppose he was trying to catch me before I left for the day, but it can wait." Mei's smile slowly returned as she added, "but Pharah can't. You should go. We can talk business later."

Remembering the color that came to Mei's cheeks, curiosity compelled Angela to ask for more information before she continued. "True, but first...about the candidate you're sponsoring..."

"Y—yes?" Sensing inexplicable danger, Mei finally looked at her screen to meet Angela's gaze. She immediately regretted her decision when she saw that Angela's face was twisted into a terrifying grin.

"Do you remember our conversation yesterday?"

"Yes..."

"And just a few moments ago?"

"O—of course."

"Then I am certain that you will understand that it is now my turn."

Though she was filled with embarrassment, Mei couldn't suppress a giggle as she nodded and ended the call. It was clear what Angela was thinking; it was also clear that there was no point in attempting to deny that she was right.

Angela pulled out the clothing that Mei suggested and looked at it nervously for a moment before starting to change. As she looked around for something to match, she was interrupted by the suite's speakers, again chiming to signal an incoming message.

"Incoming message from Captain Fareeha Amari."

Angela excitedly ordered the message to be displayed on the television screen. As always, Fareeha's message was simple and direct, conveying nothing but essential information. _On my way back. ETA: 30 minutes._ Angela couldn't help smiling. Though she wished that Fareeha's messages were a little more personal, it was comforting to see anything that was unique to her personality. As she was about to turn away from the screen, she noticed that there was a file attached to the message. When she opened it, she saw that it was another song. (1) Though she wasn't familiar with it and a quick search for the lyrics didn't do much to explain what it meant, it wasn't hard to guess why Fareeha had sent it.

Angela quickly finished changing and put on more perfume, then called the kitchen to order brunch and request the items from the list Lena sent earlier in the morning. Though she wasn't cooking, the thought of having a meal ready when Fareeha returned reminded her of the feeling of sending her off for the day and anxiously waiting for her to return. She struggled to restrain a laugh and keep her mind clear as she considered being a dutiful wife for the first time in years. Thinking of it brought an old daydream to mind. When the receptionist asked if there was anything else she wanted to order, after wrestling with her thoughts for a moment, she quickly added, "do you have any aprons? Any one will do." With blood rushing to her face, she quickly ended her call and rushed to finish preparing for Fareeha's return. As she continued clearing space in drawers, the same thought echoed in her mind. _It is time...my Fareeha is coming home._


	16. Blackburne Shilling Mate

_Author's note: I'm sorry it took me so long to get all of this done. While I've got a much better feel for my new routine and I'm finally starting to feel as though I'm getting the hang of it, I still have quite a bit of catching up to do. I'm also working on catching myself slacking off when I should be getting work done. It's all coming together nicely, though; I expect to be back on a regular update schedule soon. Again, thanks are due to everyone's support and understanding as I adjust (and get fussy and irritable when the going gets rough). Right now, I'm planning on updating on Monday and Friday evenings. While I originally wanted to upload in the morning, this works well with my new schedule and feels like a better update routine overall. Going four and three days between updates seems a bit better than five and two._

 _By the way, as I've already had someone ask me about the first song in the track list for this chapter, I thought I should make it clear that the answer is yes. It's_ that _Imperial March. I didn't make any specific mention of it at the time, but you can also find it referenced in chapter one._

 _1\. "The Imperial March" composed by John Williams_

 _2\. "Aka to Kuro" by Ali Project_

 _3\. "Fukai Mori" by Do As Infinity_

 _4\. "Blight" composed by Kou Otani_

Fareeha shifted restlessly in her seat in the back of her transport as it slowly crawled through the crowd outside of her hotel. Though she didn't care for the ordeal any more than she ever did, thinking of her destination kept her from being particularly annoyed. The raucous crowd barely registered in her mind as her driver helped her move through the middle of it. Every time she heard someone shout Angela's name as part of a question about where she was going, her mind was torn from the crowd around her and was again in Angela's suite, bouncing back and forth between remembering the night before and imagining the night to come. Now that she had the transport's door separating her from the people outside and she had nothing to distract her from her thoughts, she was aware of how much nervousness had built up inside of her. Without even the walk or remembering to politely wave to expend her energy, it was impossible for her to sit still. Though she still felt nauseated and the slight pain in her head was just starting to ease now that she was out of the sunlight, the fatigue she felt seemed like it was something she was remembering from weeks earlier rather than hours. Her body still felt heavy and slow to respond, but it refused to sit still. Only her stomach seemed to protest; it churned in warning every time she shifted or made a sudden movement.

 _If I weren't so happy, I'd think that I was going mad._

When her phone sounded to announce an incoming call, Fareeha was surprised to feel relieved. Unable to sort out her thoughts properly, she was glad for the distraction. Her relief was short-lived, however, coming to a violent end when her mind registered the familiar composition and her stomach began to toss despite the fact that she was sitting entirely still. (1) _There's no way in hell that I'm dealing with this right now._ Despite knowing what to expect, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and groaned when she saw Lieutenant Colonel Fawzy's name displayed underneath the Helix Security International logo. Though her sense of duty compelled her to answer, a combination of annoyance and disgust kept her from doing so. More than that, she knew that it wasn't likely to be anything important. Whether it was or not, she would surely get a message about it as soon as she failed to answer the call. Just as she was thinking it, a message came through from Fawzy. Though she had no desire to read it, the thought of having it hanging over her head for any length of time was unbearable, especially considering the thought that it would distract her during an evening with Angela. Looking over it, she smiled without realizing it as the tension inside of her evaporated. It was a short message that certainly wasn't anything pressing.

 _There is no need to reply to this message. I am only contacting you to inform you that I have just learned of a festival in Zürich taking place this evening and a growing interest in whether or not you and Doctor Ziegler will be in attendance. If you have the time to spare, it would benefit your public image to be seen there with her._

With the threat of another argument now a memory, Fareeha was able to consider the request with a clear mind. If it would help her maintain a positive public image and fulfil her duty to Helix by doing so, it was well worth considering. Also, though they would be together for the rest of their vacation, she wasn't in the habit of turning down any excuse to spend more time with Angela. The only things keeping her from cheerfully agreeing were the thought of willingly putting herself on display in a crowded place again and the fact that her body didn't seem to be likely to allow for such a thing today. Still, the evening was a long way off and there was plenty of time to recover. The only thing keeping her from pushing herself to do it in spite of herself was the fact that it would require taking Angela with her. While she didn't think anything of enduring the discomfort herself, dragging Angela along with her to do the same was out of the question. _She works herself hard enough as it is._

Thinking about the evening ahead quickly transitioned from thoughts of going out to thoughts of staying in as the transport finally broke free of the crowd, picking up speed and reminding Fareeha of the relatively short distance between herself and her destination. Her pulse sped up along with the transport as she remembered having made the same trip the day before. _I would think I would be used to it by now._ Her whole life, she had been known for her ability to learn quickly. For as long as she could remember, she was able to adjust to new circumstances in an instant, especially in the face of a challenge. Angela was the only exception that she could recall. She always assumed that she would eventually get used to being around her, which had long supported her belief that her growing feelings would eventually fade. She told herself that she would get over it one day and find herself free of the burden of feeling anything at all. _One day, things will go back to normal. I won't stumble over myself or get tongue-tied when I'm around her and I won't ache when she's gone. It's for the best. I already know that this is not the worst thing that could happen. I should be grateful, really; it gets far worse when you don't stop it in time._ Fareeha couldn't stop herself from laughing when the words that she'd repeated to herself so many times in the past came to mind again. It didn't matter how much sense they made or how sure she had been that she was right. She had been wrong and, in spite of herself, she couldn't bring herself to regret it. She was certain that she was right in believing that there was risk in making the attempt and, though there was still risk in continuing, she couldn't have been farther off the mark in her assumption that it was for the best that she not try. _Angela is worth it._

The only thing still troubling Fareeha was the thought of sharing a bed with Angela again. It had been easy enough the night before when wine and fatigue made her entirely too lethargic to worry about it. Once the shock had worn off, the feeling of waking up still holding her made it impossible to regret having done so. With her head slightly more clear now, however, she couldn't deny that she had concerns. Despite her public image, she knew Angela too well to ever believe that she was the type to hold back very much or for very long when she was faced with something she wanted. Now that they had put pretense behind them, there was certainly the possibility that she would have expectations of their relationship. It was merely a question of the specifics of those expectations and how long it would be before they were presented. It wasn't likely to be a concern for Angela, but Fareeha couldn't deny having reservations. As she thought about it, she wondered for a moment if it was a lack of desire, but remembering the dress Angela was wearing when she last saw her immediately dismissed the thought as a possibility. She couldn't explain it, but there was apprehension there that gave her pause. It felt much like the feeling of going into an entirely new challenge that she wasn't prepared to encounter. She wasn't entirely inexperienced, though Samia was a long way behind her by now. It had been years since she had as much as given the matter any significant thought. Just as now, it wasn't necessarily a lack of desire; the matter just never came up. After spending years slowly disconnecting herself from the thought of wanting to be involved with anyone, she often thought of desiring someone in any way like a worn part for a machine that had long since been replaced with something better.

 _Things have changed, though. That machine has rediscovered its intended purpose._

Though the thought had given her at least some measure of comfort for years, it was no longer the case. _If I'm honest with myself, it never really was. It was just a means of getting by._ As soon as she thought of it, a song came to mind that she'd found in her mother's collection years earlier. Confusion and curiosity led her to find and translate the lyrics and, once she had, she spent several years listening to it and hoping that it might one day apply to her. Noticing that she was again growing tense in the face of a problem without a clear solution, it seemed like a good time for a distraction. Pulling out her phone, she quickly found the song and set it to play. (2) As she heard the music for the first time in years, she smiled in spite of herself. Despite having buried it along with her desires long ago, it took only seconds to find it. The fast pace and sound of stringed instruments felt familiar despite the time that had passed. Unfamiliar words from an unfamiliar language flew past her in a blur, but she had long ago memorized them and their meaning. Another smile came when she found herself resisting the urge to sing along. It was like being underwater and then finally taking a breath after resurfacing; no matter how much she'd told herself that she didn't need it while it was gone, there was no denying the comfort that came along with its return.

She still didn't have solution for her dilemna, but the reminder that her situation had changed for the better managed to calm her. Rather than worrying about the fact that she didn't understand her apprehension, she decided that it would be better to proceed as she had since she started down this road and simply take one step at a time. She worried about how Angela would react, but the feeling reminded her of the first time she found herself facing a decision like this. She hadn't had time to think the matter through with Samia. She'd simply gone with what she was feeling; there had certainly been desire, but there had also been fear of the reaction that might follow a failure to reciprocate. Having an experience with Samia as her only frame of reference was as good as not having one at all. _Angela is most decidedly not Samia. If she was, I wouldn't be considering it in the first place. We'll do what we've been doing so far...we'll talk about it and trust each other._

Fareeha leaned back into her seat and relaxed as she replayed the song, not looking up again until she felt the transport slowing down. She could feel her pulse pick up its pace as she realized that they must be close to the hotel, but she forced herself to ignore it. There would certainly still be a long wait if the crowd from earlier hadn't dispersed and thinking that it would seemed like a bit much to hope for. Still daring to hope, she looked out of the window and her mouth fell open. Rather than shrinking, it had easily tripled in size. Still refusing to allow herself to get worked up again, she fell back into her seat and again focused on the music as she willed herself to remain calm. Looking down at her phone, she scrolled through playlists for another song for a moment before running across the song that she'd sent to Angela earlier as she was leaving. Immediately trapped somewhere between feeling amused and mortified, she laughed nervously at herself. She'd sent the song on a whim and, in her hurry to make her way through the crowd outside of her hotel, she hadn't given it much thought. Now that she had the time to consider having done it, she couldn't help feeling embarrassed over it even though she couldn't explain why. For the entire evening and well into the morning, she had been dispensing with pretense and making her intentions clear. Still, this was something new. Rather than admitting to something that it was now clear had been glaringly obvious, she was taking a new step altogether. Being entirely honest with herself, she admitted that she loved the thought. Having Angela send her off earlier made her have to fight herself to actually leave her behind. Her experience with relationships was sparse at best, but she still wondered if things weren't moving too quickly. She would gladly charge ahead and deal with it as it came, but making Angela uncomfortable was an entirely different matter. She was already working on a way to smooth things over when she felt the transport come to a stop.

Fareeha was so preoccupied with coming up with a decent apology that she'd forgotten to be anxious about the crowd despite being in the middle of it. She reviewed potential apologies and explanations as she walked slowly and gave her practiced wave that had now nearly become habit. The only thought that interrupted her was the slightly unsettling feeling that came from realizing that she was getting used to being the center of attention. She felt more relieved than she had in the last full day to find herself within arm's reach of the doors that would separate her from her fans until she saw unusual movement out of the corner of her eye. With a familiar motion, a relatively small frame was gracefully dancing around the hotel staff keeping the crowd at bay, spinning and sending long, brown hair flying in every direction until she came to a stop between Fareeha and the door.

 _Shit...not you again!_

After blinking hard as though hoping the young woman in front of her had been a particularly unpleasant hallucination, Fareeha stared intently in front of her only to see that the reporter that had stopped her on her way into Angela's hotel the night before was again in front of her, microphone already pointed toward herself. She looked quite pleased with herself, though her cheerful expression seemed out of place once Fareeha saw the dark and swollen circles under her eyes. She was still wearing the same clothes as she had the night before, showing several deep creases in places that reminded her of Angela's dress when she'd gotten out of bed earlier that morning. Her hair seemed far more out of place than the damage that a simple spin had done, looking as though it had been hastily brushed with little attention paid to doing the job properly. Despite feeling annoyed that she'd once again been stopped with sanctuary in sight, Fareeha couldn't help feeling sorry for her. She knew that look well; it was the look of someone that had been working all night long. As much as she didn't want to be bothered, she couldn't simply brush past her and let her effort be for nothing.

"Y—yes?"

The reporter seemed lost for words for a moment when she realized that Fareeha seemed to be willing to entertain her questions. She recovered quickly and started speaking as quickly as she could into her microphone. "Your evening with Mercy seems to have been all but confirmed to have been a date at this point! Do you have anything to say in response to these claims?"

For a fraction of a second, Fareeha expected to feel embarrassed in the face of speaking publicly. Using the opportunity to confirm her relationship with Angela publicly, however, made her more excited than anything else. "Nothing other than that they are entirely accurate."

She again seemed to be lost for words, her expression making her look as though she had just struck gold. Fareeha was amazed that she once again recovered in an instant. "So it's true! Are the two of you an item now? Is it true that you're here to see her again?"

"Yes...and yes."

Fareeha doubted that her responses were exciting enough to be worth the trouble it must have caused to obtain them, but the reporter seemed to be quite pleased to be hearing them nonetheless. "What about Overwatch? Will your relationship cause any conflict if you end up joining them?"

"I'll tell you the same thing I have to say to anyone else that doesn't approve: While no one is required to approve of our relationship, they would be wise to keep their grievances to themselves."

"Oh! You sound pretty serious about this! I remember that Mercy sounded pretty serious, herself! So... _is_ it serious?"

"Quite."

"I'm happy for you both! It's too bad for your fans, though...they've been in a frenzy all night long waiting for confirmation! They're no doubt going to be in a terrible state once they hear all of this!"

 _And here I'd nearly forgotten why I didn't want to see you again._

The statement reminded Fareeha of when they'd met the evening before and Angela's reaction to a similar statement. It was clearly a sensitive subject. The last thing Fareeha wanted was to have that same look directed at her as a result of having said the wrong thing in response. Saying nothing seemed to be just as bad as saying the wrong thing, however, leading Fareeha to simply say what she was actually thinking and hope for the best. "That's...unfortunate. It can't be helped, though. To be entirely honest, from the time I met her, nobody else ever really stood a chance."

Fareeha had wondered for a moment if she'd managed to say something wrong in spite of her efforts when her response was met with silence. Again, the reporter seemed to be surprised by how straightforward Fareeha was about the questions she was being asked. Even the crowd had become noticeably more quiet when the people gathered around them that were within earshot had fallen silent. During the pause, her driver took advantage of the moment and stepped in front of the reporter while gently pulling Fareeha toward the door. Seeing her opportunity escaping, the reporter came to her senses and called out again.

"What about Tracer? Did you know that she's sponsoring—"

Already inside of the hotel, Fareeha turned and called back to her as she walked. "Get in touch with the hotel. They'll put you in touch with me and you can ask me more later." Giving a quick nod to the surprised hotel manager preparing to welcome her back, she quickly thanked her driver and made her way to the elevators.

As the elevator doors closed behind her and the noise outside could no longer be heard, Fareeha sighed as she found herself finally alone in relative calm. She attempted to put the matter behind her and return to rehearsing her apology, but it proved to be difficult. Though she still couldn't say that she cared for it, publicly declaring her intentions did far more to soothe her frayed nerves than any amount of thinking that she had done on her own. She realized that she'd finally gotten something that she'd wanted of a relationship in the past: She had someone to share her good fortune with. It was met with general approval and any opposition had been soundly defeated. Even better, she could finally be happy in admitting that her mother had been right. The one she loved should be proud of being with her.

Fareeha made another attempt to return to her rehearsal, but it was interrupted as the elevator began to rise to the suite level by a chime from her phone indicating an incoming message. She checked it and laughed aloud when she saw new contact information with a hastily written message asking her to set up an appointment at her earliest convenience. _She doesn't waste any time, does she?_ Though she didn't look forward to the interview to come, Fareeha couldn't help feeling as though she'd made the right decision. As much as she didn't want to be bothered, she was moved by the thought that anyone would show so much dedication to their work, even if their work revolved around not minding their own business. Still laughing, she remembered the last thing that the reporter had been yelling at her as she was walking away. She'd heard something about Lena's sponsoring someone before cutting across her to tell her to get in touch with her later, but there had been something else afterward. She thought it had been something about being expected by someone to attend the festival later, but there was no way to be sure. As she was walking away, the crowd started closing in on the reporter and firing too many questions at her to be certain what was being said. Still smiling and shrugging at no one in particular, Fareeha finally put the thought aside as the elevator came to a stop and the doors started to open. _I'm supposed to be more public about my relationship and I can't live with the thought of letting that girl's effort come to nothing. If we help each other, I may be able to kill two birds with one stone._

As Fareeha was again making her way down the hallway, Angela was bouncing in place in anticipation while looking around her suite for anything else that needed doing that she may have missed. She felt nervous about it, but it was a marked improvement over what she'd been feeling before she had anything to occupy her thoughts. Though she'd resolved to not worry about the next several days after seeing the message from Fareeha saying that she was on her way back, it had proven to be more easily said than done. She attempted to convince herself that it wasn't as big a deal as she was making of it, but the argument didn't last long in her mind. Sharing a living space was a significant step that they were taking. She'd said aloud to herself that it was nothing that they hadn't done before, unconsciously hoping that hearing the words would lend credence to them. Instead, the words rang hollow. She had lost her faith in the statement nearly as soon as she had made it. While it was true that they'd shared a room a number of times in the past, the situation had clearly changed. In the past, they were merely friends; at best, she had been attempting to convince herself that they were nothing more than that. Now that they had openly declared their intentions, they weren't simply sharing a hotel room. They were sharing a living space as a couple. Thinking about it drove home the point that it was a clearly defined change in their relationship that had come relatively soon. She didn't mind it herself as she'd been dreaming of it the entire time that they had been sharing hotel rooms as friends, but she worried that she might be pushing Fareeha too quickly.

Angela's face had displayed a frustrated smile as she thought about how difficult it was to tell what was on Fareeha's mind when it came to making her happy or determining what was causing her pain. She was never one to show her discomfort, making it all but impossible for Angela to know when she was causing any. From the time she'd decided to start attempting to slowly push their relationship forward, she was concerned with not repeating her past mistakes and end up doing as she pleased while pulling Fareeha along with her. Fareeha hadn't made it easy, though, as she always endured discomfort as a matter of course. The more something hurt her, the less likely she was to show it. She would simply do what she considered to be her duty and soldier on as she completed whatever task was in front of her. Angela was certain that she had admitted to more discomfort in the last day than she had since they'd met. Though the look of pain on her face broke Angela's heart, she couldn't deny that she liked the thought of finally being able to tell how Fareeha was feeling. She wanted nothing more than to take that pain away; now, she could tell whether or not she was getting the job done. She laughed as she remembered going through something similar the first time she'd ever treated Fareeha's physical injuries, spending what felt like hours trying to convince her that there was a significant difference between feeling good and feeling good enough to return to battle. _She is by far the most difficult patient I have ever treated._

Thinking of making Fareeha comfortable had eventually led to thoughts of the bed they'd shared the night before. Though there was no malice in her intent, Angela couldn't help cringing when she thought of the fact that, as she feared, she had wanted to share a bed and hadn't given a second thought to quite literally pulling Fareeha along behind her. Though she never thought to admit it beyond hoping that it wouldn't come up, she had been awake for the better part of an hour by the time Fareeha's eyes first opened. After waking up, Angela had only registered a pounding in her head and the discomfort caused by falling asleep with her hair still pulled back and pinned into a chignon. As she blindly reached for her head to start pulling out pins, her hand brushed across Fareeha's stomach and caused the events of the evening before to come rushing back to her. Until Fareeha finally awoke, pulling out hair pins was the only thing she allowed herself to do to distract herself from the feeling of waking up next to the woman she loved. As happy as she had been, she had only just barely kept the memory of pulling Fareeha along with her at bay. After Fareeha left to return to her hotel, it was much more difficult to keep the thought out of her mind. Facing it and the thought of again sharing a bed with her made her again wonder if she was pushing things forward too quickly. She didn't bother denying that she knew what she wanted to come of it; instead, she simply resolved to not give in to it. The thought of the nurse's uniform in the box now hidden inside of a suitcase was enough to make her feel certain that she was making the right decision. _No. Not yet. Not even soon. I do not know if even I am ready for that._

Thoroughly frustrated, Angela had forced herself to shift her thoughts anywhere else. Out of habit, she thought about Fareeha and immediately felt her mood shifting for the better. Somehow, remembering that they would be together again in a matter of minutes had pushed all of her worries aside. She thought about the night before and the conversation that went well into the early morning when she had confessed to having similar concerns. The thought of Fareeha's response quickly put her situation into perspective. Though that wasn't enough to keep her from trying her best, she was relieved to remember that she at least had a chance to get it right. Fareeha had heard the worst of her and was willing to understand. That being the case, it wasn't difficult to imagine that she would be willing to forgive in the event of another error in judgement. She had smiled peacefully when she remembered their shared promise to give their relationship their best effort in spite of how difficult it would no doubt be. _She is happy with me as I am. She does not want me to change._

Feeling more excited than worried, Angela had picked up the suite's tablet and looked at the message from Fareeha again. She checked the timestamp and saw that nearly twenty minutes had already gone by. She was already imagining holding her in her arms again when she saw the file attached to the message. Remembering the first time she was waiting for Fareeha to arrive, an idea had come to her to have a perfect song playing when Fareeha walked through the door. She quickly pulled up a list of the songs that Fareeha had transferred to the suite's personal network when she connected her phone to it the night before. Her excitement faded in an instant when Angela looked at the list of files and cringed. Now that she had access to Fareeha's full music library, the simple task now seemed overwhelming. She saw tens of thousands of individual song titles listed, none of which seemed immediately familiar. _This is just what she carries with her all the time?_ Remembering how she tackled the list the day before, she selected several songs she already liked and analyzed them for similar sounds. As suggestions were made, she added several of them to a playlist and set them to start. The first one to play was simple and calm, starting with a lone guitar and a pleasant voice singing words that she didn't understand. (3) Unable to make sense of them, she quickly searched for a translation of the lyrics. Her breath caught in her throat as realization dawned on her, causing her to smile as she forced back an urge to cry. _It would seem that I have gotten lucky again._ Amazed by the thought that something so appropriate would be hidden in the depths of Fareeha's collection, she couldn't help wondering what else she had added to the playlist. She skipped through several of the songs, finally stopping on one in particular that caught her attention when it started with what she was almost certain was a lone cello. (4) Thinking of another pleasant surprise, she quickly set it to replace the sound of her doorbell before scrolling through the songs again.

Angela spent several minutes afterward going through the list of songs, only stopping when she heard her new doorbell. Excited, she threw the tablet aside and ran to the front door. Pulling it open wide in her excitement, she stood in confusion for a full second before realizing that she was looking at the room service attendant who had just arrived with her order. He smiled politely as Angela stood aside to make room for him to push a large cart filled with covered dishes and a small grocery bag into the suite. As she looked at the cart, filled nearly to capacity with food, she wondered if she might have gone overboard in ordering. She wasn't sure how much of an appetite Fareeha would have while feeling so sick, but considering that it was normally all but insatiable, it seemed wise to err on the side of caution and order too much rather than too little.

Angela looked up in surprise when the attendant's voice broke through her thoughts. "Do you need any help setting things up?"

"No, just leave everything in the kitchen. I will take it from there." Angela had to remind herself to not be offended by the offer, but she wasn't about to allow anyone else to do any more to prepare Fareeha's meals in her place than absolutely necessary. She was already bothered enough by the fact that she hadn't cooked it herself.

"As you wish, Doctor Ziegler. Are you expecting guests soon?"

"Only one."

Seeing the smile spreading across Angela's face, the attendant couldn't help inquiring further as he started moving dishes. "Oh! Pharah is coming back? I guess that explains the commotion outside."

"She is already here?"

The attendant nodded, now excited in spite of his efforts to remain professional. He didn't even remember to politely protest as Angela started helping him unload the cart. "The entire hotel is on alert. They're going into a frenzy out there; someone said that Pharah stopped to answer questions."

"She...she _what_?" Angela stopped for a moment as she was carrying the last of the covered dishes to a countertop in the kitchen. The thought didn't immediately register in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered if some other celebrity had come to the hotel instead.

"I didn't catch it all because I was in a hurry to get here, but I heard other employees saying over the intercom that someone was asking her about the two of you. It looks like it's finally official." Though excited about the conversation, he looked a bit disappointed. "Quite a few people are happy and sad about it at the same time. I know how they feel, to be honest...I've been a fan of Pharah's for a while, myself."

The admission seemed to throw a switch in Angela's mind. Confusion was immediately replaced with anger strong enough to keep her from turning to face him out of fear of her reaction as she carried the bag of groceries into the kitchen. "Then I will get you an autograph."

The attendant fell silent following the terse reply and continued to work quietly. Guilt set in immediately as Angela realized how quickly her temper had gotten the better of her. As the attendant set the last of the dishes on the countertop, he politely excused himself and headed for the door. "I should hurry...she should be here at any moment."

Riddled with guilt, Angela's mind raced to find a way to undo her mistake. Unable to find the right words, she said the first thing that came to mind. "Will you be working all day today?"

"Y—yes, ma'am."

"I will try to get that autograph to you before the end of the day."

Though Angela had felt as guilty about blatantly attempting to pacify him as she had about snapping at him, she was relieved to see that he smiled and seemed to be genuinely excited about the offer as he rushed down the hall.

Attempting to put the matter out of her mind, Angela rushed to arrange some of the dishes on the counter while she placed others in the oven to keep them warm. As she finished, she remembered the bag of groceries and went to put them away. When she looked into the bag, her heart skipped a beat when she saw an apron neatly folded on top of everything else. She nearly dropped it in her excitement as she rushed to put it on. All else was forced from her mind as she remembered her idea and the feeling that was so far only being hinted at by the dishes that she'd quickly but carefully arranged in the kitchen. Her only thoughts were of Fareeha's reaction until she heard a cello playing over the suite's speakers. She smiled as she took a deep breath and attempted to calm herself before heading to the front door.

Though she attempted to remain calm, she couldn't keep herself from again pulling the front door open wide with excitement. As always, Angela's heart skipped a beat when she saw Fareeha standing in the doorway in her flawlessly tidy dress uniform. Somewhere in the back of her mind, it suddenly occurred to her that there was nothing wrong with saying what she was thinking this time. It was an important step that they were taking and, as with last night, it was surely best to be open and honest while taking it. _She suggested it herself when she'd sent that song, after all._ Smiling, Angela pushed her hesitation aside as though it offended her; this was a leap that she both wanted to take and was sure that she was ready to take.

"Welcome home, Fareeha."


	17. Slow Recovery

_Author's note: I'm making it a point to not worry too much over how long it's taking me to get chapters done while I'm trying to get back into a routine, though I can't say that I don't care when I miss a deadline, either. I'm actually largely pleased with how things are going overall lately. I've got a much better idea of what I can get done during the week and I'm getting better at not letting myself be distracted from writing during my free time on the weekends. With the long weekend coming up this week, I'm looking forward to putting that to use and getting closer to getting myself caught up and on schedule._

 _This chapter was originally planned to upload as Friday evening's update, but I pushed my target date back to Monday evening because of an idea that I've had floating around in my head for some time now that I was having trouble not doing anything with. I realized far too late that I couldn't get both that and this chapter done even close to on schedule, so I've put it on the back burner for the moment in the interest of getting this story back on schedule. I'll be working on it over the weekend and I hope to have it posted along with this coming Monday's update. That reminds me: if anyone is interested in keeping up to date with when the next chapters will release, I can be found on Tumblr (username kumoma13)._

 _There's no music to note for this chapter; as you'll soon see, there's far more interest in the news than music at the moment._

Fareeha blinked in confusion as she stood in Angela's doorway. She'd heard the words but, as it often seemed to be since her leave started, it seemed too good to be true. As she stared, Angela began to look uneasy.

"F—Fareeha?"

Hearing her name made her realize that Angela couldn't hear any of the thoughts racing through her head. She was so busy thinking of her prepared apology, feeling ridiculous for having bothered and taking in the sight in front of her all at once that it took hearing her name to realize that she had yet to give a voice to any of it. Her mind raced to find the words to do so, but it seemed to stumble over itself.

"I...take it you approve?"

It took Fareeha a moment of curiosity to realize that she was smiling so widely that she was beginning to feel fatigue in her face. Giving up, she nodded and made her way inside as Angela, now laughing in her relief, stepped aside to make room for her. Fareeha's mind finally lurched into gear just in time to notice the smell that had built up in the suite over the last few minutes. Though still nauseated, she couldn't resist suddenly wanting to devour everything in sight as her eyes took in the two covered dishes on the coffee table. Two sets of silverware were each wrapped in intricately folded linen napkins next to their own glasses, one set placed with obvious care next to each of the dishes. Though she didn't take any particular interest in the teapot and the pair of tea cups on saucers in the center of the coffee table on a silver tray, it was easy enough for her to appreciate that they had been arranged with the same care as everything else. Looking at everything neatly arranged in the middle of the suite, she thought that the setting looked more like a photograph from a magazine than anything she was likely to see for herself.

"I am sorry that I didn't have time to make things look any nicer than this. The attendant left only minutes ago."

Angela's voice was the only thing that could have torn Fareeha's attention away from the setting in front of her. She turned to see Angela looking somewhat shy; she looked away at nothing in particular and failed to restrain a smile as her cheeks turned progressively deeper shades of red. Again, Fareeha realized that the reaction was caused by the fact that she was staring, but her manners alone couldn't convince her to turn her gaze away.

"What is it, love?"

"I'm sorry. It's just that...well...you look nice. Again."

Fareeha felt like kicking herself after hearing her own voice give such a feeble response, but no better words occurred to her to describe what she was seeing. They never did when she tried to explain exactly what it was that she was thinking after seeing Angela wearing something new, which was quite often. Aside from her Valkyrie armor, she couldn't remember ever having seen Angela wear the same thing twice. Every time they met, it seemed that the sole purpose of her ensemble was to catch her attention and drive her mad despite Angela's relatively simple fashion choices. It was always somehow elegant in its simplicity. Even though it was clear that she was seeking comfort above all else this morning, this occasion was no different in the effect it had. She was wearing a white cotton tank top and blue denim shorts, but something about it was different in a way that Fareeha couldn't immediately place. As she thought about it, it occurred to her that a significant difference was in how much of her skin was visible. No matter how alluring Angela's appearance was, it was always modest in that she was usually as covered as the current weather allowed. As with the night before, however, it seemed that the opposite was the case. More than that, Fareeha couldn't help noticing how little the denim shorts covered. The inseam couldn't have been more than five centimeters in length, showing off more of her legs than Fareeha had ever seen. In addition, she was wearing a white pocketed apron that covered most of her front and stopped at the middle of her thigh. With the white apron layered over the white tank top, it gave the illusion that she wasn't wearing anything underneath it at all. Even her feet were nearly bare, covered only by a pair of plush blue slippers. The thought of the overall effect made Fareeha's heart race out of control.

"Are you alright, love?" Angela's expression turned to one of concern when Fareeha started to look unsteady on her feet.

"Yes...I'm fine." It wasn't entirely true, but Fareeha didn't want to worry Angela needlessly any more than she wanted to admit to the source of the problem. "I'm just a little tired. I should probably sit down." _I should probably blindfold myself, too._

Though she clearly wasn't entirely convinced, Angela didn't say anything else about the matter as she took Fareeha's hand and led her to the sofa. Fareeha didn't sit as much as she collapsed; she didn't notice it until she found herself finally able to rest, but she was far more exhausted than she realized. Between the lack of sleep and the hangover she was still battling, she hadn't had much energy to spare and the trip to her hotel room and back seemed to have taken all of it. She looked up at Angela and wondered where she was going; she was expecting that they would both be sitting, but after escorting Fareeha to the couch, Angela made her way to the kitchen instead. She returned a moment later, smiling cheerfully and holding what looked like a grocery bag.

"Here you are...these are the things that Tracer said you would want. The kettle is heating, so I will be serving tea in just a moment." Still smiling, she turned and made her way into the kitchen again with a noticeable spring in her step despite her feeling sick and fatigued. Fareeha watched her curiously, wondering if she wasn't missing something.

"Oh...right! Thanks!" Fareeha was excited to finally put the items to use, as anxious to rid herself of her hangover as she was to satisfy her curiosity. She considered pulling them all out but, looking at the careful arrangement on the coffee table, she thought better of it and instead put the bag down on the floor in front of her. The arrangement was too elegant to disrupt by spreading groceries everywhere.

Angela returned a moment later with a carton of eggs in hand. She was eyeing them suspiciously as she sat next to Fareeha and handed them to her. "Here you are. Tracer said that you would know what to do with them. So...what _are_ you going to do with them?"

Slightly anxious with curiosity, Angela bent forward and started pulling items out of the grocery bag and placing them on the coffee table. Though she didn't like the thought of leaving the job to someone else, the careful arrangement of the items made Fareeha glad that she hadn't done the job herself. She struggled to recall the instructions that Lena had given her in the message she'd received while she was on her way to the lobby of her hotel room, but it was a blur. Between trying to get through the crowd and thinking about Angela, she'd nearly forgotten them only a moment after she'd read them. She rested the eggs in her lap and quickly pulled out her phone to open the message again, then put it back in her pocket before starting to open the carton of eggs.

"It looks like I just have to mix them together."

"And then what?"

"Nothing, from the looks of it."

Angela only felt more confused as she watched Fareeha carefully crack the shell of one of the eggs and empty its contents into the glass on the coffee table. Putting the empty shell into the carton and setting it aside, she started opening the bottles and adding dashes of each to the glass on top of the unbroken egg yolk. After adding the salt and grinding some black pepper on top of the tabasco sauce and Worcestershire sauce, she poured a small amount of vodka on top of it all and stared at it for a moment.

"So, that's it?" Angela was about to offer to take the glass into the kitchen to cook it, halted only by the feeling that she was missing something important.

"Yes, that's it. Apparently."

Though excited by her curiosity, Fareeha didn't feel entirely confident about what she was about to do. Noticing the way that she was holding the glass, it occurred to Angela that she looked as though she was about to take a drink from it. Her eyes wide with horror, she finally understood what was happening and couldn't stop herself from speaking out.

"Does Tracer...does she want us to _drink_ this revolting concoction?"

Fareeha laughed nervously. She didn't want to seem insensitive to Angela's understandable surprise, but curiosity kept her from being entirely enthusiastic about agreeing that it was necessarily disgusting. "She said that it will help. She seemed confident enough about it."

"I cannot help but wonder why. Where did she ever hear of such a horrible thing?"

"She said that McCree showed her how to make it."

"Jesse...I should have known. Horrible."

Fareeha looked up to see Angela staring at the glass in her hand with a look of disgust. Something about the tone of voice made her wonder whether it was directed at McCree or the prairie oyster. Getting the feeling that it was better to not ask, she turned her attention back to the glass.

"I...should probably get this over with."

Angela cringed as she watched Fareeha raise the glass to her lips, consciously forcing herself to not try to stop her as she saw the egg disappear into her mouth. Fareeha closed her eyes tightly as she swallowed the contents of the glass as quickly as she could. She sat as still as stone as her stomach tossed violently for a moment, not daring to do as much as open her eyes until it settled. Opening her eyes slowly and moving carefully, she placed the glass on the coffee table while Angela waited nervously. She readied herself to rush Fareeha to the bathroom, certain that there was no way that something so vile would stay in her stomach for very long.

"That could have been worse."

Angela stared at Fareeha in shock. She looked at the glass sitting near the ingredients on the table, wondering what she could have been missing. Despite her best efforts and years of studying human physiology, her horror kept her from thinking of a single reason for a reaction to ingesting something so vile other than an immediate and violent rejection. Fareeha looked up again and struggled to not laugh at the expression on Angela's face. Her eyes were wide, her mouth was open slightly and she gripped the bottom of her apron in tightly clenched fists as though it were trying to escape.

"I...take it that means that you don't want one?"

Angela could only shake her head as she attempted to collect herself. "I am still trying to figure out how you are keeping it down."

"It wasn't bad, actually. It was kind of like eating a real oyster. You just have to take it all at once. I can't say I'd recommend trying to chew it, though."

Angela continued to stare in disbelief. "Do you feel any better?"

"I don't feel worse, so I'm not complaining." Though her stomach still hadn't settled entirely, it was no worse than it was before once she'd had a moment to recover. More than anything else at the moment, it reminded her that she was still hungry.

Hearing the tea kettle whistling in the kitchen, Angela stood and began collecting the ingredients from the coffee table. Placing them back into the grocery bag, she took it, the glass and the porcelain teapot from the table. "I am glad you are feeling better. Or, at least, not worse." She bent down and kissed Fareeha's cheek before heading back into the kitchen.

Fareeha once again got the feeling that she was being cared for as she watched Angela walk away, an arm and both hands full. A feeling of guilt quickly took root and led her to carefully stand. She wavered slightly as she did so and was surprised by the amount of effort that it took. Her body felt strangely heavy now that she was home. _Home...that's still a strange thought. I think I could get used to it, though._ She smiled and dismissed it as she put her focus into keeping steady as she followed Angela into the kitchen.

"Can I help with anything?"

Angela turned, looking surprised to see her there. "No, I will take care of everything. You should sit and rest...you still do not look entirely well."

"I'm fine, really. I'm just tired." Fareeha looked around for anything that needed doing, but the only thing she could see that required attention were the groceries that Angela was putting away and the whistling cast iron tea kettle on the stove that she didn't have any idea what to do with. Everything else in the kitchen was as neatly arranged as the coffee table, giving her the impression that she could only do more harm than good by touching any of it.

"It is nice of you to offer, but there is not much left to do but make the tea. Do not worry...I will take care of everything."

Fareeha still didn't feel entirely comfortable with the thought, but something about the way that Angela insisted again kept Fareeha from arguing the point any further. Unlike when she had mentioned McCree, however, she appeared to be quite happy about doing the work herself. Fareeha couldn't place why, but she was certain that Angela was enjoying herself. She watched silently as the last of the things from the grocery bag disappeared into cabinets, nearly too quickly to be seen but with the same care that had gone into placing everything else. With practiced hands, she moved to the cast iron kettle on the stove and poured a small amount of water into the ceramic teapot before placing the kettle back on the stove. After swirling the hot water around in the teapot for a moment, she poured it out and reached into the cabinet for a small tin. She opened the lid, releasing the scent of peppermint into the kitchen.

"I hope you like it. I know that you do not usually drink tea, but it should help you feel a bit better this morning." Angela seemed hopeful about the thought as she spooned tea leaves into the teapot.

"I'm sure that it will go down a bit easier than the prairie oyster. I probably should've waited to try the tea first."

Angela laughed while suppressing a shudder. "I certainly hope so. It is a first flush Super Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe peppermint Darjeeling tea. It is quite light and should not make it as difficult to get back to sleep as coffee would."

Though she hadn't understood a word that had been said about it outside of "peppermint Darjeeling tea," Fareeha resisted the urge to ask. Angela looked too proud of the words she'd used to risk taking away from the moment by asking what significance they had. She didn't need to understand them to feel confident, anyway; she knew Angela's taste to be impeccable, so a vote of confidence from her was more than sufficient.

Starting to feel awkward standing there and watching Angela work without doing herself led Fareeha to break the silence. "Why are there so many dishes?"

"I was not certain how hungry you would be. I erred on the side of caution."

Fareeha's stomach rumbled in an odd way, as though it was torn between demanding to be fed and demanding that it not be disturbed. Her mind, however, had made its decision when the smell of the food first registered.

"It never ceases to amaze me how well you know me."

Angela only smiled as she reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a large glass pitcher filled with what looked like apple juice. She took the pitcher and another glass to the coffee table, then returned just as the kettle whistled again, signaling her to lift it from the stove and fill the teapot. When she was satisfied, she turned the stove off and set the kettle aside, then fitted a pink knitted tea cozy over the teapot and carefully lifted it from the countertop.

"The tea is nearly ready! Come, sit back down."

Fareeha again wondered why Angela seemed so excited. She did as asked and, as she again fell onto the sofa a bit harder than she'd intended, Angela placed the teapot on the silver tray between the teacups. Fareeha noted the elegant pink floral pattern on the white cups trimmed with gold and their matching saucers. She was certain that she had seen them sitting on the tea trolley when she first arrived the day before and found herself again wondering how much care had gone into choosing this hotel room. With the teapot in place, Angela returned to the kitchen and returned a moment later with a large platter filled with fruit that she placed on the coffee table. Fareeha, who was in the middle of taking in the fragrance of the tea, was distracted by the careful arrangement of assorted sliced fruit on the platter. Halved grapefruit with small silver spoons and apples were arranged around several bunches of grapes in the center in a pattern that showed clear attention to detail.

"What is it, love?" Angela stopped in the middle of lifting the covers of the dishes, revealing large plates of scrambled eggs and toast. She took in Fareeha's bewildered expression and wondered if there wasn't a problem.

"You're amazing. How did you manage all of this?" Taking in the sight and smells overwhelming her senses, she felt as though everything was too perfect to be a coincidence. It was as though everything had been arranged specifically to appeal to her. _Of course not...what a horribly self-centered thought._ Despite trying to deny the possibility, however, she couldn't stop it from causing her heart to race again.

Angela smiled shyly as she shook her head and removed the covers. "I cannot take credit for any of it. The kitchen prepared everything this morning; I merely found places to put everything."

"And it's all perfect. I don't know how you found time to do it all."

Angela seemed to be lost for words and began to turn red again as she set the covers aside and handed one of the dishes and wrapped sets of silverware to Fareeha. After taking a moment to fill both of the glasses with juice, she sat next to her and reached forward to take her own dish. Fareeha watched her in amazement and again got the feeling that Angela was doing this all for her benefit. Her feelings of guilt were replaced with appreciation as she pulled a fork out of the linen. Though she couldn't explain why, the thought made warmth spread inside of her. It reminded her of the feeling of being sent off for the day by a loving wife only hours earlier. A small part of her mind continued shouting at her that she should feel guilty for enjoying it and that she should be doing her fair share of the work, but she silenced it in favor of savoring the moment. _I think I could get used to this._

They ate in silence for a moment, both of them too hungry to delay any further. The only interruptions were made by Angela when she occasionally stopped eating to pull fruit from the platter for Fareeha, leaving her lost between feeling compelled to argue and loving the attention. Between loving the feeling of being cared for and not wanting to do anything to disrupt the look of happiness on Angela's face every time there was something that needed to be done, she was eventually able to entirely ignore the part of her attempting to make her feel guilty about enjoying herself quite so much. Though she didn't normally eat such light things, she was surprised by how easy it was to keep it down. Her stomach offered minimal protest, her hunger finally winning out over nausea. As always, Angela had made the perfect choice. The feeling of being cared for was almost too much to endure without a reaction, but her sense of pride caused her to ignore the stinging sensation in her eyes as she blinked to ensure that they were still dry.

After a few minutes, Angela finally spoke. "What do you think? How is everything?"

Fareeha smiled as she loaded her fork with more eggs. "They're much better when they've been cooked."

Angela laughed aloud, only narrowly avoiding choking on her toast. "I am certain that Tracer meant well and I do not mean to say that this prairie oyster of hers does not work, but I think that I will show you how to make a Corpse Reviver. It should go down a bit more smoothly."

"A what?"

"Just another bit of the hair of the dog that bit you. I would suggest a Bloody Mary, but I know that you do not particularly care for tomatoes." Noting the look of guilt on Fareeha's face, she couldn't help wondering what had caused it, though she was capable of hazarding a guess. "What is wrong?"

"I was just thinking about the prairie oyster. I didn't give it much thought at the time, but I suppose that it's a bit early in the day to be drinking vodka."

 _Scheisse. I knew it._ Angela had forgotten until it was entirely too late to avoid the subject. "If it makes you feel any better, I am not in a position to judge." Following a look of confusion from Fareeha, she added, "I was creative in disposing of the leftover Eiswein from last night."

Much to Angela's surprise, Fareeha shook her head while she was chewing. "You know yourself and your limits better than anyone else. If it suits you, that should be good enough for anyone else, too."

Overwhelmed, Angela leaned in and kissed Fareeha before she could take another bite. After a long moment, she pulled away and sighed peacefully. Fareeha appeared to be confused, though not at all displeased.

"Not that I'm complaining, but...what was that for?"

"Being understanding."

Fareeha could only smile in response as she finished her eggs. It didn't seem to her as though she had done anything special, but she couldn't help appreciating any moment in which she managed to make Angela happy. As she picked up the last of her toast from her now empty plate, Angela put her own unfinished food on the coffee table and stood.

"I will take that." She leaned forward and picked up the plate from Fareeha's lap, then took it into the kitchen before there could be any protest. Just as Fareeha was considering putting her warm feelings aside for a moment for the sake of being polite, Angela returned with another dish.

"Here you are. It is tartiflette; a little heavy for this morning, perhaps, but you seem to be feeling a bit better so I thought you would like it. I know how much you love bacon."

Fareeha thanked her as she took the plate and examined it with wide eyes. The potatoes, cheese and onions were irresistible and the flecks of bacon scattered throughout made it difficult for her to keep her excitement quiet. The only thing marring the experience was the habit of feeling uneasy about the bacon. She was never particularly religious, but as she was part of a small minority taking that stance, bacon was incredibly rare when she was growing up. When she did come by it, she usually passed on the opportunity, both out of respect for anyone that may be offended and a lack of interest in defending her position yet again. Now, however, it was easy to put the thought out of mind; nobody was more understanding or less judgemental of her than Angela.

With great difficulty, Angela gave Fareeha a few minutes to enjoy herself before asking something that had occurred to her while she was in the kitchen. "I was wondering...where are your things?" Angela strained to keep her voice steady and not show how much worry was behind the seemingly simple question.

"Lena said that she would be sending them along later. Something about not wanting me to be seen with them coming out of the hotel today."

Angela smiled as she held back a sigh of relief. "That...makes sense. You would not want people jumping to conclusions as to why you are here."

"Even if they're right?"

Angela nodded as she took another bite of her eggs. "Mostly because they _are_ right."

Fareeha attempted to make sense of the logic for the second time that day, but gave up on it after a few seconds and turned her attention back to her tartiflette. "I suppose I shouldn't have said quite so much on my way in here, then."

"What? To whom?"

"A reporter that stopped me on the way in." Remembering Angela's reaction the last time they'd met, Fareeha decided that it was better to not give any more details about her if she could avoid it. "The questions weren't specific, but I didn't bother denying anything, either."

Fareeha was so occupied with the dish in front of her that it took a few seconds for her to realize where she had gone wrong. Feeling uneasy about the silence, she looked up to see Angela looking particularly excited. Before she could say anything to defuse the situation, Angela had set her dish on the coffee table and jumped to her feet.

"Um...Angela? What are you doing?"

Angela's only response was a smile as she looked around the room frantically for a moment before her eyes fell on the tabled that she'd tossed aside in excitement earlier when she thought that Fareeha was at the door. In a single motion, she grabbed it and jogged back to the couch, landing in a heap as she pulled up the news feeds again. Fareeha dared a glance at the screen and cringed when she realized what was happening.

"All I did was answer a few questions, really! It's not that big—"

Angela, already giggling, put a finger to Fareeha's lips as a recent news story started to play. She set the feed to play on a large holographic projection that appeared on the other side of the coffee table just in time to see a reporter gracefully spinning around the hotel staff trying to keep the crowd in order.

"Not her again!"

Fareeha gave a nervous glance to her side when she heard the irritated reaction that she was expecting. Angela sounded somewhat annoyed, but she was still smiling widely in anticipation. Though it still worried her slightly, it did nothing to take her mind away from what was to come. Angela wrapped her arms around Fareeha's as she leaned into her shoulder and watched the video feed intently. As the short interview progressed, she only grew more excited and started to bounce in place on the sofa when the potential for conflicts caused by their relationship came up. Hearing Fareeha boldly defending their relationship thrilled her; hearing her response to another statement about those lamenting the fact that they were both now spoken for caused her to take leave of her senses. Fareeha only barely managed to keep the last of her tartiflette from flying out of her hands when Angela placed a hand behind her head and pulled her close to kiss her. Seconds passed before Angela finally let her go, leaving Fareeha looking pleasantly dazed. Slowly returning to her senses, Angela returned the stream to the last point that she could remember having seen to watch the final seconds of the video. She squinted as she tried to make sense of the voices all shouting to be heard over each other as the crowd started to close in on the reporter.

"That poor girl...I actually feel sorry for her! I do not think that she knew what to do with you. You left her entirely stupefied!"

"I...think I understand the feeling."

Angela looked up and laughed again when she saw Fareeha still trying to catch her breath. "What was she saying about Tracer?"

"I'm not sure. To be honest, I was just trying to get out of there once the opportunity presented itself. It was something about sponsoring someone, so I assume that she has a candidate for Overwatch in mind."

Angela thought about it for a moment, but couldn't find any relevance to the conversation. Lena did, in fact, have a candidate that she'd recommended, but it wasn't anyone that Fareeha was likely to want to hear about. The thought of the reaction to going into further detail led her to push the conversation forward. "What were you shouting to her?"

Fareeha groaned when she remembered the promise that she'd hastily made. "I...told her that I would speak with her again another time."

Angela's eyes went wide. "You actually _agreed_ to an interview?"

"I felt a need to. Did you see how tired she was? She was a mess. She must have been up all night long waiting for that opportunity. She was also the only one willing to make that extra effort that nobody else was. If a few minutes of talking about myself is all I have to do to keep it from being a complete loss, I can endure it. Probably."

Angela gave Fareeha another quick kiss on her cheek. "That was very kind of you. It is certainly more than I would have done. I will submit her contact information for review and have an interview scheduled."

"So you don't mind? She's going to be asking about you, after all. I can always tell her that I can't do it."

"No! You should do it!" When Fareeha jumped slightly by the enthusiastic response, she quickly added, "it will be good for you. You should get used to reporters, after all. Your fame will only increase once Overwatch has reformed. Think of it as practice."

Again, Angela consciously stopped herself from breathing a sigh of relief when Fareeha eventually nodded and turned her attention back to the last of her tartiflette. She stood and made her way to the kitchen again as she thought about the upcoming interview. She tingled inside when she thought of it. While it was true that she thought that it would be a good experience for Fareeha, she couldn't deny that her primary motivation was the fact that she loved to hear Fareeha proudly proclaiming her love for all to hear. She couldn't remove the smile from her face as she carefully removed another dish from the oven and made her way back to the sofa just in time to see Fareeha clearing her plate. She felt as though she was being rewarded for her effort when Fareeha's eyes lit up as she looked up at the dish in her hands.

"There's more? What is it?"

"Älplermagronen. Again, it is a bit heavy for this morning, but I think you will like it. Just be careful to not eat too much. You do not want to make yourself sick again."

Fareeha laughed as her stomach rumbled, seemingly demanding more in response to the warning. "I don't think that will be a problem."

Angela glowed as she handed the dish to Fareeha and took her empty one back into the kitchen. When she returned, she was surprised to see Fareeha looking up at her as though she was waiting.

"What is it, love?"

"I was just thinking about the interview. It reminded me of the phone call."

Angela's expression soured. "Oh...Fawzy. What did she want, anyway?"

"Pretty much what I assumed."

Angela was far more annoyed than worried after watching Fareeha respond to the reporter. She was filled with a confidence with which she wasn't entirely familiar within the context of relationships. "How did she go about asking about us?"

"Pretty much _how_ I assumed." Seeing Angela's burning curiosity led Fareeha to go into a bit more detail in spite of her desire to put the matter behind her entirely. "She hasn't learned anything more about tact since the last time you saw her. It wasn't entirely bad, though. She actually wants me to be seen with you more often."

"She does?" Remembering Fawzy's apparent love of gossip, it wasn't hard for Angela to imagine that with that fact coupled with the resources available to her due to her authority, the details of her past were no longer a secret. That thought made it difficult for Angela to imagine that Fawzy would approve of her in any way.

"More than that, she won't be saying anything against our being seen together."

"She...she said that?"

"That's how I've chosen to interpret the stammering." Again, Fareeha saw curiosity burning in Angela's stare, but remembering the conversation kept her from indulging Angela this time. "As I said, she has yet to learn anything more about tact. Don't worry; we had a talk about it. I think we're seeing eye to eye on the matter now...well, she'll hopefully be choosing her words a bit more carefully from now on, anyway. She even wants us to go to some kind of a festival in the city tonight."

"A festival?" Steadily increasing love of Fareeha's defense of their relationship and the shock caused by Fawzy's change of heart made it difficult for Angela to think clearly. After a moment, her eyes lit up. "Oh! She must be talking about Sächsilüüte! With everything going on yesterday, I had nearly forgotten that it was today!"

"What is it, exactly?"

"It is a celebration of the beginning of spring. There will be parades all afternoon and a bonfire at six o'clock. I cannot remember when I was last in town to see it for myself! I know you do not particularly care for crowds, but it will be fun. Besides, you love explosions."

"Explosions?" While Angela's assessment was certainly true, Fareeha couldn't make a connection between explosions and a parade.

"I will show you, if you think you can handle the trip out when the time comes. I am excited to finally be able to attend! Considering that our own assembly was held yesterday specifically because we wanted people to be in a festive mood for it, I am surprised that I managed to forget about it." Angela thought about it for a moment before smiling. "Then again, I have had much more important things on my mind since then."

Attempting to ignore the warmth she felt growing in her face, Fareeha pushed the conversation forward. "What about the call you had to make today? Is it anything that requires immediate attention?"

Fareeha immediately regretted asking when the look of annoyance returned to Angela's face. "Das geht mir am Arsch vorbei. It will have to wait until my holiday ends." After seeing Fareeha grow tense and drawing conclusions as to the reason for it, Angela smiled sweetly in an attempt to reassure her that her anger was directed elsewhere. "I am sorry, love. Do not mind me. I am merely frustrated with people that keep attempting to interfere with my holiday...and with keeping them separated from the ones that honestly cannot wait."

"What's the difference between them?"

"Whether or not they understand that I do not want to be bothered. It never ceases to amaze me how many—"

As if on cue, Angela was interrupted by a knock at the door. Taking a moment to remain calm and remember that nobody would come to see her in person outside of a dire emergency, she remembered that Fareeha's luggage was supposed to be arriving soon. She assumed that Fareeha had the same thought when she started to put her dish on the coffee table and stand.

"No, you keep eating. I will get it."

She smiled at Fareeha's apparent struggle to not argue as she returned to her älplermagronen. She rushed to the door and, as she expected, a hotel employee was standing on the other side with a suitcase and a duffel bag. After thanking him and taking the bags, she carried them into the bedroom and placed them on the bed before excitedly returning to Fareeha, who was pushing macaroni and potatoes around on her plate with a guilty expression.

"For the record, I am enjoying myself. You should not worry so much." Angela kissed Fareeha's cheek as she sat down and again picked up her plate to finish the last of her toast.

Not wanting to upset Angela if she was indeed happy, Fareeha again resolved to put the matter out of her mind. She took a moment to remember common commands for hotel rooms and called out to the ceiling for the holographic display in front of them to start scrolling through other news feeds.

"What are you looking for, love?"

"Another news station...hopefully one that's talking about something other than us." Fareeha didn't feel particularly hopeful as she looked at the list of headlines, precious few of which seemed to think that there was anything worth reporting other than the few minutes of footage of the two of them over the last day. "You always watch the news in the morning and I doubt that you've had time to do so today."

Angela felt slightly faint with elation. Despite all of the attention that people around the world gave her, she could count on one hand the ones that ever considered her as a person rather than a means to an end. "It looks as though you know me as well as I know you."

They continued to eat in relative calm, watching the few news stories that they could find that didn't concern the two of them. The only interruptions of significance came when Fareeha finished eating something and Angela returned to the kitchen to get her something else. It wasn't until she saw Fareeha stifling a yawn that she realized that the moment that she had been both cheerfully awaiting and dreading had come.

"We...should probably head back to bed. We do not want to miss too much of the parades, after all."

Despite her best effort to ignore the feeling, Angela felt relieved when Fareeha simply nodded in response. Again, thoughts of sharing a bed came to mind, making her feel slightly uncomfortable. Though she'd resolved to not press the issue of intimacy and avoid it altogether for the moment, the thought still made her feel uneasy as she had no idea how to proceed when it inevitably came up. It pained her to admit that she had little experience with considering others' feelings regarding the matter. She had always simply charged ahead and done as she pleased; if whoever she was with wasn't interested then it was simply their loss in her mind, but it never happened. She never considered until years later that some of them may have simply followed along out of fear of rejection or a sense of duty. Putting Fareeha through something like that was unthinkable. _It is just as well, really...I am too tired to give it thought, much less effort._ Pushing her worry aside, she slowly stood and waited for Fareeha to follow. She could only smile in response as Fareeha, now full and looking only barely awake, reached out and took her hand to gently pull her toward the bedroom.


	18. Second Morning

_I hate starting off with an apology, but one is certainly due this time. I intended to only take a short break in the wake of more stress than I was able to handle at the time, but it wasn't simply a matter of bouncing back as I'd assumed. Worse than that, when the days turned into months, I realized that the longer I was gone, the harder it was to get back to work. Being away from writing was far harder than getting back to it, though; it took some time for me to realize that. On top of everything else, my plan to change the way I go about writing completely fell apart nearly as soon as I started. I tried taking a more logical approach to writing to keep my updates regular and keep myself from getting overwhelmed, but I'm apparently not wired for rhyme and reason. I just do things. I have no doubt that I'll end up in another situation where life gets in the way and I end up wearing myself out and need a break, but at least I'll be happy...and in a better position to dive back into my work when the storm passes. I want to thank everyone for sending words of encouragement on Twitter and Tumblr as I got myself together and giving me gentle nudges to get me back on track. I have no idea how long this would have taken without you._

 _This chapter is incredibly short and felt a little awkward to write as I was referencing events that I hadn't thought about regularly for months, but I set a deadline for myself (which is about six minutes away as I write this) and I intend to stick to it. Just as when I wrote the first chapter, I think that the most important thing right now is to take that first step and make sure the job gets done, even if it isn't perfect._

 _1\. "Dat Jazz" by Nicholas Cheung_

For the second time that day, Fareeha found herself waking up in unusual surroundings. Again, the fact that she was on her back was the only thing that didn't seem to be out of place. Remembering trying to wake up earlier that day, she opened her eyes carefully in anticipation of another sharp pain when the light flooded into them. Her vision was blurred by fatigue, but it wasn't particularly unpleasant. Just as when she first awoke, she was certain that the sun was in the wrong part of the sky. Her insides still seemed to be in motion despite her remaining still, but it wasn't nearly as unpleasant as it had been earlier. Her mind slowly picked up its pace as she tried to push her fatigue aside and remember exactly where she was and how she'd come to be there. She thought about the last time she woke up and had tried to remember exactly where she was and quickly remembered how it had managed to finally come together when she realized that Angela was next to her. A brief thought of maintaining her dignity and composure was quickly discarded in favor anticipation as she quickly turned to her side. The quick jab of pain in her head punishing her for the sudden movement barely registered in her mind; she was consumed by a sinking feeling when she saw that the other half of the bed was empty and it took several seconds of reminding herself that she was clearly in Angela's suite to convince herself that she couldn't have dreamed the entire thing. It seemed like a ridiculous thought, but it was impossible for her to not recognize the all too familiar feeling of loneliness that felt as though it was trying to smother her the first time she woke up after parting ways with Angela following a vacation and realized that she wasn't there anymore. As she tried to turn her mind in any direction other than disappointment, she finally took notice of the music that had been playing over the suite's speakers since she woke up. (1) The song was familiar and clearly from her collection; her waking up to it must have been Angela's doing. Realizing that Angela was thinking of her and that she must be somewhere nearby finally gave her some relief from the memories that she'd been trying to keep at bay.

"Are you alright, love? You look out of sorts."

Fareeha felt a brief moment of embarrassment when she jumped at the sound of Angela's voice coming from behind her. She quickly turned to face it, once again punished by a slightly more intense pain in her head and a churning stomach. The discomfort passed much more easily than it had earlier in the morning, but she barely noticed it at all after her slowly clearing vision took in Angela's face. She was standing in the doorway that led to the bathroom, her hair a mess of tangles and a hairbrush in hand. The thick, cream-colored cable knit sweater and simple blue jeans she was wearing were a far cry from the expensive and alluring dress from the night before or the tiny shorts and apron that made Fareeha's heart hammer as if it were attempting to escape her chest earlier that day. It reminded her of every vacation they'd spent together where she'd wished for a moment like this more than anything she could call to mind. Fareeha smiled blissfully, her thoughts now miles away from the discomfort and unease of only a few seconds earlier. It seemed strange to her that, despite the way she'd reacted to the dress and the apron, seeing Angela like this made her even happier.

"...Fareeha?"

Fareeha laughed at herself when she realized that, distracted by her overwhelming relief, she hadn't actually responded. "Yes, I'm better—fine, I mean."

Angela's expression was troubled as she made her way to Fareeha's side to examine her more closely. She definitely didn't seem fine; her pulse was racing and she seemed to be wincing as though she was trying to ignore something that was hurting her. After having seen her do so on so many occasions in the past, instinct drove Angela to worry. It was only her blissful expression that seemed out of place. Concern made it difficult to notice at first, but when Angela saw the incredibly rare smile that Fareeha wasn't even bothering to attempt to hide as she usually did, her worry took a backseat to appreciating the opportunity. She felt a fluttering inside of her as she stood over Fareeha, who wasn't even looking away. Normally, embarrassment would have set in and caused her to turn away, but now she was only looking back into Angela's eyes as though she was also savoring the moment. Spurred on by a warmth that was suddenly spreading throughout her, Angela leaned forward and brought their lips together.

Time seemed to stop as they held each other, both of their concerns now far behind them. The world around them was forgotten until an announcement from the suite's speakers shattered the moment. "Incoming message for Captain Fareeha Amari from: Lena Oxton."

Angela pouted as she reluctantly pulled herself away from Fareeha, a task that was conspicuously difficult for her. She sighed heavily as she sat down on the bed, looking at the hairbrush that she was holding as though she'd just remembered that she was still holding it. "I...suppose you should get that."

Fareeha seemed to be equally disappointed, though she was still smiling peacefully. "I'm guessing that she just wants to make sure that we're still coming to the festival. It was her idea, after all." After a quick command to display the message on the bedroom's television, her smile finally faded as it was replaced with a look of confusion as she read it.

 _Are you two coming? It's looking like a good time, although I can understand if you have something better to do at the moment. (By the way, if you_ do _have something better to do at the moment, you'd best tell me all about it later!) If you come through, though, make sure you come and find me first. Just give a call when you're on your way. I'll tell you where to find me. Oh, by the way, how did Mercy like what I picked out for you?_

Angela put her frustration aside for a moment in favor of curiosity. Several questions came to mind that competed for her attention for a few seconds before she managed to settle on one. "Why does she want us to see her first?"

After a moment of contemplation, Fareeha shrugged as she dismissed her look of confusion. "I was just wondering the same thing. I never seem to be able to figure out what she's up to. She hasn't steered me wrong, though, so I'm willing to assume that there's a reason for it."

"That stands to reason. I'm also wondering, though...what does she think that we will be doing that would be more important than attending the festival?"

Fareeha felt panic jolt through her like electricity as her mind scrambled to find an acceptable response to the question. When she turned away from the message to look at Angela, she was met with a mischievous smile that made it clear in an instant that her efforts were in vain. "Damn it, Lena...she's probably laughing at me as we speak. There's no way in hell that was an accident."

Angela couldn't resist laughing herself, both at Lena's sense of humor and the faint traces of red making themselves apparent on Fareeha's cheeks. Though it was still a subject that she was inclined to handle delicately, it was nice to be able to at least be able to casually reference it without fear of reprisal. She refused to be distracted from her final question, though, which seemed to be more pressing than the others now that she considered the fact that she couldn't hazard a guess on her own.

"What exactly did she pick out for you that she wanted me to see?"

Another wave of nervous energy washed over Fareeha as she remembered that Lena had mentioned something about wearing whatever she first saw when she opened her suitcase. Somewhere in the middle of being anxious to get back, being grateful for breakfast and being too exhausted to think of anything else, she'd completely forgotten about it. Now that the thought was clear in her mind, however, she was more worried about it than ever. Despite having come to the realization that Lena had yet to steer her wrong, she couldn't deny that Lena's judgement, however accurate, seemed to always involve some degree of embarrassment on her part.

"I don't know. She wouldn't tell me and I never unpacked the suitcase to see it for myself." Seeing an opportunity to derail the conversation, she quickly added, "I really should stop sleeping in my dress uniform. I'm making an awful mess of it. Do you know of anyone nearby that can clean and press it for me?"

Fareeha's voice trailed off as she saw her plan fail. Despite mumbling something about having the hotel take care of it later, Angela's eyes were firmly fixed on the suitcase and duffel bag that she'd placed in the corner of the bedroom after they'd been delivered. Fareeha knew the look of concentration well; she had seen it many times before, most often when Angela was in the middle of treating an injury. Fareeha sighed and started for the edge of the bed, resigned to her fate now that it was clear that Angela wasn't about to be deterred.

"Do not worry! I will get it!"

Angela smiled as she dropped the hairbrush and sprang to her feet. Fareeha couldn't help smiling herself; though she was certain that whatever was inside the suitcase would be mortifying, she couldn't help being grateful for it if it made Angela happy. In the midst of her concern over what she would find in it, Fareeha noticed how quickly Angela was moving. She crossed the room in a way that was vaguely reminiscent of how she flew from one patient to the next in combat; the motion was graceful, but at the same time it was so quick that one could easily miss it if they weren't watching for it. She'd barely finished the thought when the suitcase landed on the bed next to her with a thud. As Angela dropped herself onto the edge of the bed near the suitcase, the look of focus on her face changed only enough to show a rapidly growing excitement. Resigned to her fate, Fareeha smiled as she sighed and reached out to the suitcase with an unsteady hand.

 _Lena is a good friend, but I'm going to kill her._

When the suitcase finally opened, an excited and involuntary gasp from Angela was the only thing that reminded Fareeha that enduring this moment was somehow worthwhile. On top of the hastily folded clothes was a carefully placed black babydoll that she was sure was the thinnest piece of cloth that she'd ever seen. The parts of the bodice that covered the bust was made of intricately woven lace that reminded her somewhat of the yoke of the dress she'd worn the night before, only slightly more substantial in that she was reasonably certain that she wasn't able to actually see through it. It was the most fabric that the babydoll had to offer, however; everything below that point was so thin that Fareeha wondered for a moment why it was even there. Underneath, she saw a lacy pair of black panties that also seemed reminiscent of the night before. It seemed certain that Anaïs had something to do with this, as well.

Being so preoccupied with preparing herself for what she was about to see and then trying to get past it once she had, it took a moment for Fareeha to remember that Angela was still nearby. Being so surprised herself, she didn't even bother to guess what Angela's reaction might be. She looked up to see Angela staring at the suitcase with an expression that suggested that she wasn't quite sure where she was or what she was doing. Though it was difficult to gauge her reaction, the faint traces of red slowly making themselves apparent on her cheeks gave Fareeha the impression that it was somehow a positive reaction. Angela swallowed hard and cleared her throat softly before speaking.

"Would...you...like to try it on?"

Fareeha's heart stopped as she heard the words. Though she had hoped for a positive outcome somehow, she hadn't expected this. She blinked hard and looked at Angela again as though trying to confirm what she'd just heard. After several seconds of silence, Angela suddenly looked up and returned Fareeha's gaze, looking as though she was just as surprised by what she'd just said. The faint traces of red quickly turned to deep crimson as her mind raced for an appropriate amendment to her statement.

"Well...that is...your uniform...I mean...wrinkles." The words came out as a jumbled mess; as Angela heard herself speak, even she could only barely make any sense of them. Struggling to find a way to somehow explain away her nervousness caused her to burst into laughter. "I...I am sorry, love. I know that you are uncomfortable with things like this, but I would be lying if I said that I did not want to see you in it."

Fareeha couldn't help laughing herself. "Don't worry about it. I had a feeling that it would be something like this if Lena was behind it. To be honest, I was just hoping that you would like whatever it was, so I'm satisfied...more or less."

Though she was still laughing at herself, Angela seemed to be relieved by the response. "So you are not upset?"

"I'm still going to kill her for this if that's what you mean."

Angela's laughter started anew. "Close enough, I suppose." After unconsciously giving the open suitcase another sideways glance, she was forced to admit once again that she really was excited by the thought of seeing Fareeha wearing the babydoll. As the seconds went by, it became progressively more difficult to turn her thoughts in another direction. As much as she wanted it, though, she remained determined to maintain her resolve to not make Fareeha uncomfortable. As with earlier in the day, the subject didn't seem quite as sensitive as she first assumed given that they were able to laugh about it, but Angela was still acutely aware of the fact that, because of situations both past and present, the last thing she should do was try to push things along too quickly. Still, although she refused to do anything that might upset Fareeha in any way, she couldn't stop occasionally glancing at the suitcase. The opposing desires wrestled with each other until an idea occurred to her. It felt recklessly irresponsible to her in the sense that she felt ashamed of herself for not being able to entirely abandon the thought of the babydoll, but at the same time, it seemed to be a fair compromise between wanting to move forward and not wanting to press the issue.

"Well, should you ever decide to...er...try it on...I believe that I may be able to make things fair."

"Fair? How so?" Though Fareeha immediately felt her insides twist at the thought of actually wearing the babydoll, curiosity compelled her to wonder what Angela was thinking.

"I just mean that I would be willing to reciprocate." Angela gave another involuntary sideways glance, but this time in the opposite direction. Her eyes had stopped on some suitcases neatly arranged in a far corner of the bedroom as her thoughts turned to a nurse's uniform hidden away in a box inside of one of them. The nervous energy rapidly building inside of her gave her a whole new appreciation for Fareeha's embarrassment. Despite this, it had been her idea to take this path; more than that, as her stomach began to churn in nervous anticipation, she couldn't deny that it was fair.

"Reciprocate? How?" Though Fareeha had an idea of what Angela was suggesting, it seemed too much to hope for. Her thoughts and heart both raced as she considered the possibilities. Choosing to open the suitcase quickly became a good idea again.

"You will see, I promise. For now, however, we should get ready to leave."

Fareeha nodded and turned back to the suitcase, considering what to wear as she carefully folded the babydoll and put it aside. In the middle of being surprised by her sudden interest in caring for it, another thought occurred to her. "What should I wear? I don't know how formal an occasion this is."

Angela shrugged with uncharacteristic indifference. "Wear whatever you want. That is what I am going to wear, anyway."

"Won't people have expectations?"

Again, Angela shrugged before picking up her hairbrush and continuing smoothing the tangles out of her hair. "I am certain that they will, but I do not care. I do not intend to put any more effort into wearing clothes today than I absolutely have to. I will not judge them for how they deal with their hangovers and I expect the same courtesy in return."

Fareeha laughed, comforted by the thought that being famous may not be as much trouble as she had been imagining. _I might be able to manage this, after all._ Not being in a mood to spend any more energy than absolutely necessary on clothing, she reached into the suitcase and pulled out the first things that caught her eye. Closing a fist on a white t-shirt and blue pair of jeans, she pulled them out and tossed them aside before returning to the suitcase to search for a comfortable pair of socks to replace the thin dress socks she was wearing with her uniform. Satisfied with what she'd found and now anxious to wear something comfortable for the first time since she put on her uniform to head to the festival the day before, she quickly made her way to the edge of the bed. Her stomach protested the sudden movement, but it was tolerable and passed reasonably quickly once she was on her feet. Grabbing her clothes, she made her way to her duffel bag and pulled out a pair of hiking boots. Looking excited, she headed for the bathroom, already unbuttoning her dress shirt and getting a gentle laugh from Angela, who had noticed how eager she was to finally wear what she liked.

Several minutes later, Fareeha came out of the bathroom feeling more comfortable than she had in what felt like months. As she thought about it, she realized that this was likely the longest she'd ever spent wearing something solely for someone else's benefit. Her Raptora armor, military uniforms and t-shirts and jeans all felt like a second skin to her. Her dress uniform was usually her only source of discomfort where clothes were concerned, largely because of the trouble it caused to keep it clean and free of wrinkles. Even this wasn't much of an issue as she rarely ever had a reason to wear it and, when she did, it was only for a few hours of her day at most. Having spent the last day and a half wearing either the dress uniform or a dress and shoes that felt even more out of place—something that she hadn't considered to be a possibility a day earlier—wearing a t-shirt and jeans again felt like coming home after a mission.

"Was it that bad, love?"

Fareeha's reverie was broken by Angela's question, barely intelligible through her laughter. She looked up to see Angela, her hair now neatly arranged and pulled back as usual, sitting in a chair and sliding her feet into a pair of trainers. After a confused expression from Fareeha, Angela added, "you look like a prisoner that has just been pardoned."

Fareeha gave a sheepish smile in return. Though it was true that this wasn't too far off from her thoughts, she didn't want to give Angela the impression that she regretted the effort that she'd put into her appearance the night before. Although it proved to be unnecessary to meet Angela's expectations, her reaction had made it worthwhile several times over.

"Let's just say that it was worth the effort."

Angela laughed again as she stood and crossed the room in a sudden hurry, not stopping until she'd wrapped her arms around Fareeha's neck. After a quick kiss, she leaned her head on Fareeha's shoulder, still smiling. Fareeha looked confused, though not at all displeased.

"Not that I'm complaining, but..."

"It is appreciation; partly for the effort, but mostly because you are still my Fareeha after giving it."

Though she didn't quite understand, Fareeha was able to hazard a guess at what Angela meant. The thought that it was that important that she remained the person that she was made her even happier that she'd gone through the trouble in the first place. It was clear that, as she'd hoped when she started down that path, the effort she'd put into the night before hadn't gone unnoticed. More than that, it was special to Angela...but not so special that she had considered trying to turn her into something that she wasn't. For a brief moment, Fareeha again found herself thinking of the countless times that, in spite of herself, she'd found herself wondering if Samia would have stayed with her if she'd changed something about herself. Though it wasn't easy to break old habits, Fareeha couldn't deny that her worries about being with Angela seemed more ridiculous every time they came to mind. She had definitely chosen better this time; in fact, she was almost certain that she had chosen the right one altogether.


	19. Private Party (New Year's Day Special)

_Happy New Year, everyone! If you didn't see the announcement on Tumblr or Twitter, this is a short holiday special that I've been planning for a little while. (By the way, a huge thanks goes out to PharmercyFics for the suggestion. It has worked wonders for me.) The idea was to do something short to slowly ease back into writing on a more regular basis without burning myself out. Between the long break and the holiday that I've been on for some time now, I'm finding myself able to write and just have fun doing it without feeling worry or strain, so I'm calling this a resounding success. I also want to once again thank everyone that has insisted that I take my time working through this. For the record, you were all absolutely right. I'm starting to feel good again._

 _As for this chapter itself, it's a special holiday event where Fareeha and Angela look back at New Year's Eve, a few months before Flight of Fancy started. What you see here was supposed to be the entirety of the story, but as it tends to do, it kept growing in my head before I realized what was happening. As such, I'm going to do one more part to this side story after this one to wrap it up. I was tempted to do more, but it's getting late and I've got quite a few things to do tonight. I hope you all have a good night tonight and a better day tomorrow! Again, Happy New Year!_

 _1\. "Days of Our Youth" by Levi Robin_

 _2\. "From Rest" by Cold Weather Company_

"Did you forget something, love?"

Fareeha blinked several times before realizing why Angela had posed the question. She had been staring blankly into the distance for a moment as they stood in front of the door to her suite, the brown leather bomber jacket still in her hands and waiting for her to put it on. It no doubt looked like she was trying to remember something. As it was far less embarrassing than the truth, she decided to let it go.

"No, I'm ready. Let's get out there."

Quickly taking the lead, Fareeha stepped through the doorway as she quickly forced her arms into the jacket and waited only as long as it took for Angela to lock the door behind them before setting off down the hallway toward the elevators. She kept her eyes locked on her destination, not daring to look behind her. _Only a little bit farther, then I'll change the subject. I just need to not make her suspicious before—_

"Is something on your mind?"

 _Shit._ "No, nothing."

"Allow me to rephrase the question, then. What are you thinking about?"

 _Shit, shit, shit._ "It's nothing important."

Fareeha didn't bother to turn around. She could feel the glare behind her as though it were burning a hole in her back. For a fleeting moment, she considered pressing on with the hope that the crowd that was undoubtedly waiting outside of the hotel for them would distract her. She knew better, however, even before she noticed that she couldn't hear footsteps following behind her anymore. Sighing, she stopped and turned to meet Angela's frustrated expression. She wasn't likely to be genuinely angry, but the piercing gaze made it clear that she wasn't going to get away without confessing her thoughts.

"I was just...remembering the last time we did this."

"Did what?"

Fareeha restrained a sigh of relief when her suspicions were confirmed. Angela's expression quickly shifted from frustration to curiosity. Laughing at herself and how easily she was swayed by a pout that wouldn't have had any effect on her coming from anyone else, she again headed for the elevator when Angela finally started moving again.

"The last time we went to a party...this past New Year's Eve, I mean."

"Oh...that?" Angela turned her head to hide the faint blush already coming into view. Suddenly much more understanding of Fareeha's need to change the subject, she chose her next words carefully, forcing herself to not abandon it entirely now that she had forced the conversation along this path. "Well, there is no need to worry. This is not nearly as formal an occasion and the quarters will not be so close."

"I'm not really worried about that as long as..." Fareeha trailed off, but she knew better than to try to get out of finishing her sentence. "...as long as we're going together. It's worth it."

Angela smiled and took Fareeha's arm as they entered the elevator, taking a moment to kiss her cheek before resting her head against the leather covering her shoulder. "So _that_ was what you were thinking."

"It's what got me through the last party."

Angela laughed cheerfully as the elevator doors opened. The hotel manager stood ready to greet them with an expression that reminded Fareeha of the expressions on her troops as a mission was about to begin. Knowing what must be waiting for them outside of the hotel, she could only smile and offer a quick thanks for the assistance as they made their way to the front doors. Hotel employees were already outside and doing their best to keep the crowd outside under control as a thunderous uproar announced their arrival in the lobby.

The next few minutes seemed to pass in a blur. After a quick nod from the hotel manager, the doors opened and Angela was pulling Fareeha along, their arms still linked together. Fareeha tried to remember to smile and wave, but she was distracted as she noticed that Angela seemed to be pulling her progressively more forcefully as they made their way through the crowd. She decided to simply take the cue and follow along for the moment, though she stared at Angela intently with a curious expression when they finally took their seats in the back of their transport. After breathing what appeared to be a sigh of relief, Angela looked at Fareeha apologetically.

"I am sorry, love. I did not want to rush you, but they are just so... _loud_." She leaned against Fareeha's shoulder again as she brought her fingertips to her temple. "It would seem that I am still not feeling quite my best."

Fareeha smiled and kissed the top of Angela's head, sending tingles down her spine. Her expression went blank for a moment before she started quietly laughing to herself. Angela looked up at the sound, but before she could ask what caused it, their driver spoke up.

"Doctor Ziegler, I've received some instructions from Miss Oxton as to where to take you. Is this alright with you?"

"Yes...that is fine." She spoke the words as if in a hurry to get them out of her mouth. She quickly turned back to Fareeha, who was laughing to herself again. Before she could ask, Fareeha had already decided to not test her patience any further and simply speak her mind.

"I was just thinking about that party again."

"What about it, love?"

"Do you remember the resolution you told me to make?"

If Angela was aware of the blush returning to her face, her curiosity kept her from acknowledging it. "Well...yes...but what made you think of it?"

"I was just thinking that Lena seems to be making sure that I stick to it."

Angela laughed again, though she winced slightly in response to the headache that was threatening to regain its strength. "Well, she _did_ promise me—"

Angela cut herself off, but not in time to avoid catching Fareeha's attention. "She promised _you_?"

Angela smiled sheepishly as she searched for the words to explain. "It was the night of the party. She did not say exactly what she would do; I was not even entirely certain what she meant. I was mostly hoping." Seeing that Fareeha's expression wasn't changing, Angela looked out of the window and saw that, as usual since they'd been in Zürich, they weren't going to be moving through the crowd very quickly anytime soon. "I suppose there is time to tell the whole story."

Months earlier, Fareeha had been sitting on her bed in her home on Christmas morning, only a day after the beginning of the short leave that she had requested recently. She was staring at an empty suitcase in the corner of her bedroom, lost in deep contemplation. She'd had a short conversation with Angela several months earlier in which she'd been asked if she had any holiday plans. Though she didn't normally do much for holidays other than work, Fareeha knew how special the season was to Angela and couldn't help hoping that it was an invitation to spend at least some of that time together. Desperate to not embarrass herself by assuming too much, she had attempted to be as casual as possible in stating that she didn't have any particular plans. That did nothing to stop her from requesting the time off, however, hoping against hope that she was wrong in thinking that she was making too much of the simple question.

She had spoken to Angela the day before Christmas Eve and, much to her dismay, her fears seemed to have been realized when Angela spoke excitedly about the party that she would be attending that evening in Paris. Fareeha knew that she loved Christmas and loved parties almost as much, so she reminded herself constantly that this was to be expected. Still, she couldn't ignore the thought that her presence wasn't necessary for that happiness. It made a grim sort of sense; Angela was always surrounded by people whose eyes were filled with either adoration or desire, so it stood to reason that she had no shortage of options as to who to spend her time with. Fareeha tried to focus on the positives, reminding herself that Helix wasn't facing any pressing matters that required her attention and she wasn't likely to have otherwise used the vacation time that would be expiring in a week's time, anyway. As Angela always told her, she worked entirely too much and needed to take more time off. Still, despite her efforts to remain positive, she couldn't help feeling foolish for hoping for quite so much.

Frustrated with herself and starting to feel an aching inside of her that she couldn't quite explain, Fareeha stood suddenly, determined to change the course of her thoughts. She picked up her phone from her bedside table and set music to start playing at random. _I don't care where it takes me. Anywhere is better than here._ As she crossed her bedroom to make her way to the shower, the first song began playing and stopped her in her tracks. (1) Before she could stop herself, her memory of the lyrics flooded back to her in an instant and seemed to fuel the aching she was feeling inside. Feeling an unfamiliar and uncomfortable sensation in her eyes, she turned around, inexplicably desperate for something to catch her eye and draw her attention away from her thoughts. What caught her eye was her bed and a memory of a night from years earlier that she had thought long since dead and buried. The memory of the first time she'd tried to spend her time with someone seemed to attack her as it often did when the wounds were still fresh, but it wasn't entirely unpleasant this time. She decided to welcome it, taking it as fair warning. _This was for the best. I believe that it's time I learned this lesson before history has a chance to repeat itself._

An hour later, Fareeha was getting dressed and feeling a bit more calm. As she was running a brush through the tangles in her hair with her thoughts preoccupied with an early lunch, the speakers throughout the house chimed to announce an incoming call.

"Incoming call from: Doctor Angela Ziegler."

Fareeha dropped her hairbrush, her heart suddenly hammering madly. Unable to think clearly and with only a faint whisper of the thoughts of determination to focus her thoughts elsewhere still in her mind, she accepted the call and quickly searched the floor for her hairbrush as a camera began to hover in front of her and display a holographic image of Angela in an unfamiliar hotel suite.

"Fareeha? Are you there?"

Fareeha quickly stood as she closed her hand around the handle of her hairbrush, still struggling to clear her thoughts enough to speak. "Yes...I—I'm here. I just...dropped something." Her voice sounded oddly feeble, but she forced herself to ignore it as she pressed on. "Merry Christmas, Angela."

"M—merry Christmas, Fareeha!" Angela sounded strangely excited, her voice also sounding slightly off in a way that Fareeha couldn't quite place. "Are you at home?"

Fareeha forced herself to ignore the desire to deflect the question for fear of making her embarrassment apparent. "Yes, I...thought I would take your advice and take some time off. I was going to lose the vacation time at the end of the year anyway."

Angela still smiled, though she looked slightly disappointed. Though she couldn't guess at what it meant, the change made Fareeha feel uneasy. "Well, yes, that is true. What do you have planned for your vacation?"

"Nothing in particular. I'm just taking some time to rest and...catch up on some reading and...what _do_ people do on vacations, anyway? I don't know if I have enough books to last me two weeks."

Angela laughed, her expression once again cheerful. "I do believe that you are the only person I know that works so much that she does not know how to take a vacation."

The sound of Angela's laughter made Fareeha's heart skip a beat. In an instant, it was as though the entire morning up to that point had never happened. "Well, it _is_ something of a mystery. There's no armor to maintain or weapons to test. There's nothing to do but wait until it's time to go back to work. I'm starting to think that the concept of a vacation means something entirely different in English."

The response caused Angela to laugh even harder. "Well, if you are looking for suggestions, what about meeting me in New York City for a few days? Do you have any plans for New Year's Eve?"

Despite how fiercely Fareeha's heart had been beating only moments earlier, it now felt to her that it had stopped entirely. "N—no. I mean, yes. That is...I...will meet you there."

Fareeha's heart seemed to begin beating again as relief washed over her; Angela seemed to be too pleased by the answer to question the fact that it had come out so uneven. "Wonderful! I was just thinking it would be nice to have some company and I was hoping that you might be free. Tracer insisted that I join her for another party, but I only intend to stay long enough to be polite."

Though she was trapped between elation and relief, Fareeha couldn't help noticing something that struck her as odd. "Do you...not have company at the moment?"

Angela shook her head, her expression wistful. "No, it is just me today."

Fareeha blurted out the question that came to mind before she could stop herself. "But...what about the party?"

Angela smiled somewhat bitterly. "That ended none too soon. It was fun and I do not mean to suggest that I dislike them, but I cannot imagine spending a special holiday with any of them. I would rather be alone."

The remainder of the conversation passed in a blur for Fareeha. There was talk of arranging flights and something about making special arrangements at a hotel, but all that she could focus on was the fact that Angela was alone for Christmas. She had never seen Angela alone before, so the thought was difficult to process. More than that, she was _refusing_ company...except for hers. As they ended their call, Fareeha did her best to remember what she'd said to herself earlier that morning about how some thoughts are best left forgotten. For a few seconds, she seemed to have the excitement and hope steadily building within her under control, but a chime announcing a new message broke her concentration. When she heard the announcement that Angela had successfully chartered a flight for her to New York City, the thought was lost and she couldn't bring herself to attempt to retrieve it. Even the mystery of how Angela had managed to book a flight on such short notice couldn't find a place in her thoughts as she considered what could be waiting for her. Her shame forgotten, she ran to her bedroom and picked up her phone, quickly setting a new song to play (2) before she started packing the suitcase that waited for her in the corner of her bedroom.


	20. Invitations (New Year's Day Special)

_It took longer than I wanted, but part two of the New Year's Day special is finally done! There's one more short chapter to go, then the story will pick back up from where it left off in chapter eighteen. I'm really excited to be working on these, which is perfect as it seems that I'll have an opportunity to do so again soon—I just found out about Pharmercy Appreciation Week starting on 14 February (a huge thanks to barna22 again for letting me know about it) and I've already got ideas swirling around in my head for submissions. Also, thank you to everyone for all of your support so far, both in being understanding as I try to get back into a rhythm and congratulating me for getting back to work. Taking so much of the stress and worry off of my shoulders reminds me of why I do this in the first place: It's work, but it's work I enjoy because I love it._

 _1\. "Grow" by Paul Travis_

The days following her conversation with Fareeha passed painfully slowly for Angela. After making arrangements for Fareeha's flight, she spent most of her time staring blankly out of the window of her bedroom, her mind bouncing back and forth between excitement and fear. It was difficult to decide which emotion was stronger and, feeling fatigued after trying to decide, she eventually put the matter aside out of frustration and began focusing on trying to keep her hands still. It seemed to be a wasted effort, however, as the only thing that seemed to do the job was occasionally bouncing in place as she paced back and forth as though attempting to wear a groove into the carpet.

 _Why am I so nervous? This is simply another vacation._

The thought was barely complete before Angela began making her way toward her kitchen with a bottle of bourbon in mind. Though she had been resisting the urge for some time, the stress of waiting and now her infuriation with herself was too much to bear. Realizing that she was lying to herself had been the final straw. As she began pouring the bourbon, she realized that she already felt slightly less tense. Though she felt slightly more frustrated with herself for feeling comforted by a bottle, she forced the thought from her mind. The fact that it was so easy to do this time was a sign of how full her mind already was.

As she raised the glass, Angela found herself wondering why she would go so far as to lie to herself about her intentions. Not that she expected anything to come of it, but the more time she spent with Fareeha, the better her chances were. There was no denying that. More than that, she _enjoyed_ spending time with her. Though Fareeha was most decidedly her first choice for company, she couldn't deny that it wouldn't be difficult to be better than her company over the holiday up to that point. As per usual, both her fame and her comforting nature had caused her to be surrounded by far more people than she had ever intended; what was supposed to be a relatively small gathering of friends and well-known colleagues for an intimate Christmas celebration the night before Christmas Eve had turned into a gathering of several hundred. By the time Angela had realized that things had gone so far out of control, someone had taken it upon themselves to reserve a convention hall, hired people to decorate it and sent out invitations. By the time she was able to track down the one responsible—a surgeon she'd worked with for all of two weeks when she was on a peacekeeping mission for Overwatch several years earlier—she had already received several dozen confirmations from people that had been sent invitations. Even after checking her address book, she couldn't determine who even half of them were.

"Oh, yes, that was me! I took the liberty of arranging everything for you! Don't you worry; everyone knows how much you love these big gatherings!"

"O—of course. Thank you for your help." _Du Hurensohn!_

Angela had ended that call as quickly as social grace allowed, mostly for fear that something that she was thinking would find its way to her voice. She had been apoplectic as much as disappointed and she wasn't sure how much she could hold it all in, much less keep it from becoming apparent that she wasn't the cheerful Mercy that everyone both expected and demanded every time they spoke to her. Despite wanting more than anything to have people she cared for to spend special occasions with, she was rapidly losing interest in social gatherings as the years passed. The disbanding of Overwatch hurt her far more than she had ever expected despite the fact that it was her opinion that it was for the best. For a time, she honestly felt that she was doing good, but on a worldwide scale. It was painful to remember it after it had come to an end, but for the first time she could remember since her childhood, she had been happy to wake up every morning, eager to do her part to make the world a better place. Having thoughts that they were doing more harm than good hurt her more than she never realized was possible, but having those suspicions confirmed in the moment she found herself testifying before the world that the time of Overwatch must come to an end was somehow even worse.

Angela spent weeks afterward in isolation, attempting to come to terms with what she was enduring. Her first thoughts were of attempting to reach out to any of the hundreds of names that she'd collected over the years and determined to be close friends, but it had ended in disaster. Though she had always assumed that most of those people were never going to be more than people seeking fame by proxy or attempting to find names to add to résumés, it had never occurred to her that, of all of those that she'd gathered around her over the years in hopes of finding one that was worthwhile, every last one would be largely the same. Every attempt to discuss what she was feeling with someone always ended in offers of new positions from those desperate to add her to their organizations or, far more often, uncomfortable silences. She didn't expect anyone to know how to fix her problems and she didn't actually want them to. She just wanted someone to care enough about her to listen. As time passed and she began viewing the people around her in a new light, she quickly realized that her every social gathering always exploded into a gathering of hundreds and, on several occasions, thousands. Her attempts to be more selective in sending out invitations only resulted in fierce competition for the relatively few available openings and, ultimately, increase in the number of invitations for the sake of keeping the peace. Her most recent attempt to only gather those who were close to her had been the Christmas party and, though she only notified those who were invited personally, it had somehow once again grown entirely out of her control, this time as a result of someone who was not even on the list that had taken the decision out of her hands entirely. It was infuriating; her plans for Christmas had been ruined by the same people that would be spending the next evening with their families as she spent it at home alone. The party was her opportunity to spend the holiday with someone as well, but it had been taken from her. As she stood in her kitchen with these thoughts swirling angrily in her mind, she drained her glass quickly and slammed it down in frustration before reaching out for the bottle of bourbon again.

"I...I did not even get to decorate."

As she was putting the bottle down, Angela heard nearby speakers announcing an incoming message that made it difficult to remember anything that she had been thinking only seconds earlier. "Incoming message from: Captain Fareeha Amari. The message reads as follows: All arrangements have been made. Thank your for taking care of everything for me. I will meet you in two days." Angela laughed, a sound that seemed strange to her ears after having such a heavy heart only moments before. As always, Fareeha's messages only conveyed as much information as was entirely necessary, as though she was making an official report. Knowing Fareeha as she did, such an impersonal message only made Angela want to talk to her in person even more. Fareeha always seemed nervous when they first started speaking, as though she was in unknown territory and attempting to get the lay of the land. Given enough time to adjust, however, their conversations often continued for hours on end. Fareeha usually wasn't much for talking, but she seemed to enjoy listening in earnest. Whenever Angela went quiet out of a fear of dominating the conversation, Fareeha always looked as though she was disappointed, making it clear that she was not only listening but hoping to hear more. Angela smiled as she set a song to play that she had once heard Fareeha listening to when they'd gone on vacation. (1) She never admitted it, but as soon as Fareeha wasn't around, she had immediately started searching for it, spending the better part of a day searching the stocks of different retailers until she found it. As now, she often found herself playing it when she wanted to think of her. Once it began playing, she set a holographic display to show the text of the message and stared at it next to the image of Fareeha dreamily.

"This is all your fault, you know."

Though Angela hardly held any resentment toward Fareeha, it was certainly true that her conversations with Fareeha played a significant role in her view of others. It was in the midst of her depression after the disbanding of Overwatch that they'd met. After having had time to get to know each other, Angela quickly noticed that Fareeha seemed to genuinely enjoy her company. Their conversations seemed like actual conversations rather than someone dutifully listening to her for fear of being excluded from her social circle in retaliation. By comparison, everyone around her began to feel more like things rather than people, beings that spoke and responded in real time but didn't seem to have any souls within them. Though she felt guilty about it when she realized that she was thinking of people the same way that many regarded Omnics, she couldn't help feeling that there was most decidedly something missing from the people around her that Fareeha had in abundance.

The only thing that kept Angela from inviting Fareeha to the Christmas party was the fact that she'd found out how far out of control things had gotten before she could place the call. She knew how much Fareeha hated crowds, especially the ones that took an interest in perceived fame. She had invited Fareeha to one of her gatherings that she had tried to keep simple once and she spent the entire evening trying to find a quiet place to wait it out. Angela laughed at the memory now that it was in the past, but at the time, she had been racked with guilt. Fareeha never struck her as the type to enjoy such things, but seeing how much it had upset her, she worried to no end that it would change Fareeha's perception of her. As it didn't seem that any damage had been done, the last thing she wanted to do was take the risk again. She desperately wanted to spend time with Fareeha again, however, especially after having such a miserable Christmas. This time, she decided to take no chances and make the occasion for just the two of them.

 _Yes...that is the reason it will only be the two of us._

As soon as she'd thought it, something in Angela's stomach twisted and made her feel ill. She thought about anything that might put her mind at ease with her declaration, desperate enough to call Julia to mind for the first time in years. Though she put all of her effort into remembering the consequences of taking too strong an interest in someone, a feeling just as powerful kept her from committing herself to the thought. She wrestled with the thought for a moment before sighing and once again reaching for the glass of bourbon that she'd nearly forgotten she'd poured. As she turned to look for it, the sight of the holographic screen drew her attention to Fareeha's picture once again. As ever, when Fareeha was in her thoughts, there was room for nothing else. Her mind cleared of confusion, she thought about her situation again. While she was certain that there was nothing that could be worth risking her friendship with Fareeha, she also couldn't deny what it was that she desired. _Trying to force things to go a certain way simply will not do, but if I set the mood and things just happen to go that way..._ Suddenly excited, Angela ran to her bedroom to begin packing for her flight, the glass of bourbon still full and now entirely forgotten.


	21. Flight of Fancy (New Year's Day Special)

_I'm pleased to present the final part of the New Year's Day special! I can't believe it took me a month to do it, but it most certainly did its job and helped me get back my feel for writing. By the way, I'm sorry if the last few chapters have felt a little off; it kind of felt that way to write them, at least. I suppose that getting back into the saddle takes time and the only thing for it is to keep going. On a related note, I'm going to do my best to get the next full chapter released before I start working on my submissions for Pharmercy Appreciation Week, but even if I can't, it won't be long after those submissions are posted. (It doesn't seem like a hard job, but Pharmercy Appreciation Week starts in less than two weeks and both that and the next chapter are going to be a significant amount of work so I'd best prepare for the possibility that it won't all happen according to plan.) Oh, I almost forgot—the book that Fareeha is reading is_ _Lost at Sea_ _by Bryan Lee O'Malley._

 _1\. "Penpals" by Sloan_

 _2\. "Eau de Bedroom Dancing" by Le Tigre_

 _Damn. Twelve thirty._

Turning away from her watch, Fareeha stared blankly at the pages of the book loaded on the small tablet in front of her as she sat in her plush leather seat on the plane as it passed over the Atlantic. She flipped through the pages absentmindedly, more for something to do than to actually read it. Though she'd originally opened it in hopes of finding inspiration, the plan seemed to have failed as soon as she'd started. Not even worrying about the time and whether or not she would arrive in time for the New Year's Eve festivities could keep her distracted for very long. Thoughts of her destination buzzed around in her head and made it impossible for her to calm down, making her feel as though she couldn't hear her own thoughts. She was grateful for the interruption when she heard an announcement from the captain telling everyone that they had reached cruising altitude. Taking advantage of the interruption, Fareeha took in her surroundings to keep mundane thoughts flooding into her head and, with any luck, pushing out all else. The first thing to catch her attention was the soft leather of the wide seat that was nearly completely surrounded by a partition that kept her out of view of everyone else on the plane but the flight attendants walking the aisles. It was a luxury that was almost too alien to comprehend; sitting there surrounded by people in similar seats wearing expensive suits and dresses while she only wore her favorite broken in jeans and worn leather jacket made her feel as though she was stowing away and hadn't yet been caught. The thought made her feel uncomfortable, though she couldn't help smiling when she thought of the trouble that Angela must have gone through to make all of this happen, especially on such short notice during such a busy traveling season.

 _I get the feeling that I'll have to get used to things like this if I'm going to spend time with her._

Fareeha couldn't deny that she still didn't feel at all comfortable as she sat in such lavish surroundings. The thought of what it must have cost Angela made her feel slightly ill as she thought of how many missions she would have to complete to pay for this trip herself, though that hadn't been enough to keep her from trying. Still, no matter how much she had insisted on paying her own way, Angela wouldn't hear of it. It came to the point of Fareeha's accepting simply to keep from seeming ungrateful. The memory of the conversation caused Fareeha to chuckle to herself as she remembered that conversations seemed to go that way for as long as they had known each other. Angela seemed to always be insisting that they try something new that always seemed to involve going far out of their way to experience. From the beginning, Angela insisted that as it was her idea, it was only proper that she make the arrangements. It was usually all that Fareeha could do to pay for her own hotel rooms. Though it was exhausting to both struggle to do her part in paying and keep up with Angela when they'd reached their destination, Fareeha didn't hesitate to admit to herself that it was well worth it. It _did_ mean spending time with Angela, after all, which was a rare opportunity that she was never inclined to let slip past her.

It was embarrassing to realize it, but Fareeha couldn't deny that she could hardly be nervous about meeting Angela in the next few hours when she was remembering the time that they had already spent together. Feeling a bit more calm and decidedly more confident, she looked down at the tablet again and, seeing the girl screaming lyrics from the back seat of a car, her next move seemed so obvious that she couldn't imagine how any amount of frustration could have caused her to miss it. Picking up the headphones resting on a hook next to her seat, she quickly placed them on her head as she started a music player and searched for a very specific song. (1) After setting it to play, she leanded back into the seat, closed her eyes and took a moment to let the music flood her mind and remind her of all of the times that she'd talked to Angela in the past. She couldn't help laughing at herself when she thought of how her heart hammered every time she saw that she had a new message with Angela's name attached to it. The desire to read—or even take calls on special occasions—was the only time that she found herself seeking out privacy in the barracks. Though it certainly drew the attention and curiosity of everyone that knew her well, she could never bring herself to care when she knew Angela was waiting. The closest that she came to regret was seeing the smirking and knowing glances that Saleh would give her when she returned.

 _"I figured that book would do you some good, but I've got to admit that it worked faster than I expected."_

 _"W—who asked you, Saleh? You assume too much!"_

 _"That picture on your phone of Mercy winking at you says otherwise."_

 _"What? This is...just...shut the hell up and go find something for us to kill."_

Naturally, he only doubled over in laughter in response. Knowing Fareeha as well as he did, a stammered response was as good as confirmation. Though she was seething at the time, Fareeha couldn't help laughing, herself. It was a waste of her time to try to hide anything from him, especially after how hard he'd tried to find something for her to be happy about. From the day he'd seen the look on her face when he'd delivered a letter to her from Samia, he'd made it his personal mission to get her past it. Suddenly feeling more appreciative of the gift he'd given her, she began flipping through the pages that she'd read dozens of times by now, remembering the thoughts that had flooded her mind as though she was reading it for the first time again. The words floated past her, filling her with the same hope she'd felt that first time and once again making her think of a light at the end of a long tunnel.

 _I don't know what will come, but I don't really need to. If Angela is there, that's enough of a reason for me to be there, too._

Several hours later, Fareeha was stepping off of an elevator and making her way down a hotel's hallway toward a suite near the end. No amount of effort on her part made the trip pass any faster; it seemed to go on for miles and her heart hammered progressively more violently as she approached her destination. Finally standing in front of the door to Angela's suite, she rang the doorbell with a trembling hand. _I hope I never have to do this again...I'm not sure I can survive the trip a second time._

"Fareeha! Just a moment, love!"

Hearing Angela's cry from the other side of the door, Fareeha's heart seemed to stop at the sound of the word that seemed to be the only thing in the world that held any power over her. As the door flew open, Angela stood nervously in the doorway as though struggling to keep herself still. Fareeha couldn't resist taking a second to appreciate the sight in front of her before speaking.

"H—hello, doctor. It's good to see you again."

Angela fixed her face into the best impression of a stern glare that she could manage given that it was aimed at Fareeha. "I thought that we went over this."

Fareeha did her level best to not laugh for the sake of being polite, but seeing Angela's practiced huffy expression was too much for her to bear silently. "I...I'm sorry. It's good to see you again, _Angela._ "

Angela's expression brightened immediately as she welcomed Fareeha inside and took her bags. "That is more like it. How was your flight?"

Fareeha did her best to not think about being surrounded by opulence or how frayed her nerves were, instead choosing to talk about how much she enjoyed the flight to keep Angela from thinking that she didn't appreciate it. She stopped in the middle of a sentence when Angela's eyes turned in the direction of a holographic display that appeared at her side and an expression of anger crossed her face that seemed quite genuine.

"What...what's going on, Angela?"

Angela sighed as she waved the display away. "I am sorry, love. It is just that I believe that people have discovered that I am here in New York."

"What? Already? When did you land?"

"It was roughly an hour ago."

Fareeha's eyes went wide with disbelief. "How did anyone manage to track you down in an hour?"

"I had to call in some favors to arrange this trip. It would seem that word travels faster than planes do."

Fareeha took a moment to try to comprehend the feverish devotion that Angela's fans had to following her. It seemed to border on insanity, though she couldn't honestly say that she didn't understand the desire, either. "I always knew that you had some pretty intense fans, but that's amazing."

Angela laughed somewhat bitterly. "These are not the kinds of fans I want following me around the world. These are the kinds of people that showed up at my Christmas party. It seems that they are attempting to arrange another one in my hotel."

All of the understanding that Fareeha had for Angela's followers was lost when she saw the crestfallen expression on Angela's face. It was difficult for her to decide if the sight made her more sad for Angela or furious with the ones that had caused it. "They didn't even think to ask you if you were busy first?"

Angela looked down as she shook her head. "They never do. With all of the consideration that they show for me, I imagine that I could replace myself with a mannequin and they would never know the difference."

Fareeha ground her teeth together in frustration, unable to think of any solutions that didn't involve turning the plane around and going home to retrieve her armor. "In that case, they should go and find a goddamn mannequin and leave you alone. Dogs shouldn't be turning their noses up at scraps and demanding steak."

Several seconds of silence passed and, when Fareeha looked up, Angela was staring at her with wide eyes, a smile and faint red tint coming into view on her face. "Even when you are furious, you say the most beautiful things that anyone has ever told me."

Fareeha shifted nervously in her seat, not entirely certain of what she'd done to make Angela so happy but overjoyed that she had managed to do it. "Well, it's true. Who are they to make demands of you, anyway?"

Angela seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. When the holographic display flickered to life again, she turned and issued a command to it. "Ignore all incoming transmissions for the remainder of my stay...with the exception of Captain Fareeha Amari." Smiling, she turned to face Fareeha again. "There! That is more like it. I feel better already."

Fareeha struggled to maintain her composure as she considered that Angela had just rejected her entire world in favor of spending their time together uninterrupted. Angela quite literally had a world of options at her disposal and had chosen her above all of them. Doubt made several attempts to find a place in her mind, but it couldn't find a place that was safe from the hope that kept flushing it out. _This doesn't mean that anything has changed. We're only good friends...but I don't care. Whatever this is, I just want for it to never end._ Lost in her thoughts, it took a moment for Fareeha to notice that Angela had gone oddly quiet. She stared off into the distance, the smile slowly fading from her face and being replaced with a tense expression.

"What's wrong, Angela?"

Angela shook her head, smiling somewhat sadly. "I am feeling better, but...I cannot say that I am not still bothered. I will not let anyone take this moment from me, but it still feels as though it has been spoiled. I cannot say that I am looking forward to the backlash that will follow having ignored so many calls, either."

Fareeha took a moment to wonder what Angela must have been feeling. Never being one to surround herself with so many people, it was difficult to imagine what it must have felt like to have so many people willing to follow her halfway around the world. When she thought about those people, however, it wasn't difficult to imagine what they must have been thinking. If she had to guess, it seemed most likely that they felt they were owed something for their trouble. By the end of all of this, they would no doubt be blaming Angela for their wasted time as though their own selfish actions had nothing to do with their predicaments.

"Fareeha? What is wrong?"

Fareeha shook her head. "It's nothing. I was just thinking that these people seem to be in need of someone that will teach them a lesson about respecting others."

Angela smiled and hugged Fareeha tightly, sending waves of warmth through the both of them. "I wish that either of us could. I am sorry, love...I do not mean to put a damper on our vacation."

Fareeha tore her mind from the tingling running through her body, determined to reassure Angela. "It isn't your fault. It's theirs. You shouldn't let them trouble you, though. I feel confident in saying that they're not worth it."

Angela smiled, still holding onto Fareeha and refusing to let go. "I am certain that you are right. It is just that old habits die hard; that feeling of demand from people is easy to grow accustomed to and it is a habit that is difficult to break. I just wish that what I wanted was of some consequence to them. It is as if what I want simply is not good enough for them."

"That's _exactly_ how it sounds to me."

Fareeha pulled her phone from her jacket pocket, careful to not break Angela's embrace. Scrolling through a list of songs, she quickly found one in particular that had just come to mind and set it to play. (2) Angela listened carefully, smiling as she took in the lyrics.

"One of these days, you will have to teach me how you do that."

"It just...seemed to fit, that's all."

Angela knew better than to argue with Fareeha when it came to getting her to accept a compliment, so she settled for kissing her cheek instead. _I will let it go for now, but do not think that I will give up on that easily. You are indeed special and I will not rest until you see it, too._ The thought seemed to bring another to mind, causing Angela to look up at Fareeha, who was looking away while waiting for the warmth to drain from her face.

"Have you made your resolution yet?"

"My what?"

"It is New Year's Eve, love! Surely you have a resolution to make."

Fareeha thought about it for a moment as the thought had never once crossed her mind since she'd boarded her flight. Thinking about how difficult the early part of the trip had been gave her sudden inspiration, however, when the book that she'd been reading came to mind. Thinking about the moment that she was currently experiencing and how many times it may have never come to be due to events that had long since passed made it clear what her resolution should be. _We're just friends and I'm happy with that...but if anything more ever presents itself, I'm not going to let the past keep me from moving forward._

"So...do you have one?"

 _Shit._ "Well...yes. I think I have a good one."

"What is it, love?"

 _Shit, shit, shit._ "I'm resolving to...well...stop speculating the future out of existence. I'm going to lean back and run with things because maybe it's for the best."

Lost for the words to explain without doing so properly, the only words that came to mind were those in the book. Fareeha only narrowly avoided breathing a noticeable sigh of relief when Angela accepted the answer without question. Before the conversation could come back around to her, she decided to steer the conversation in a slightly different direction and pose the same question.

"So...have you made a resolution?"

 _Scheisse._ "Well...yes. I have."

"What is it?"

Though Angela had no plans to let go of Fareeha any sooner than she had to, she was grateful that she hadn't as it gave her the opportunity to hide the crimson making its way to her cheeks. "I...have resolved to not let opportunities pass me by any longer." Angela felt a small measure of relief in making her declaration, but it seemed woefully inadequate when compared to what she was thinking. _I refuse to go charging forward recklessly again, but one day when the time is right, an opportunity will present itself and I_ _will_ _seize it. I am with someone that cares more for me than anyone else in this world...and my resolution is that I am refusing to let her go._


	22. Calm Before the Storm

_I can't apologize enough for having been gone so long. Rather than bore you and frustrate myself with the annoying details, I'm just going to sally forth and continue working on getting things back on track. First, however, I want to again thank everyone for all of the support and understanding all of this time. One of these days, I'm going to have to find the words to properly express just how much it means to me._

 _I wanted this chapter to be quite a bit longer but I couldn't finish everything that I wanted to finish in time. Looking back, I probably should have set next week as my deadline for myself considering what it is that I had in mind. Let's just say that it's for good reason that I'm not known for being patient. Even though it isn't what I would have liked to have done this week, I'm still glad that I did it. Getting back into the swing of things has proven difficult—likely because I've been away for so long—so easing back into it was definitely the way to go. I actually tried to do exactly that at first but...well...these things tend to get away from me. I managed to do it and remember exactly what it is that I love about doing this, though, so I'm calling it a win. My only concern at this point is the possibility of continuity errors. I've been gone a long time and I couldn't have finished this chapter in time if I'd stopped to read the story in its entirety before I started writing. (Please continue to bear with me and point out errors as you see them. As always, I'm still taking notes for the second edit.) I still don't know that I'm going to have everything I want done in time but, as with this post, I intend to have_ something _ready to go next Friday._

 _The music for this chapter caught my attention as it's a bit harder to find than usual. I try to choose songs that are easy to come by for anyone that might be curious, so I was surprised to realize that two of the three songs for this chapter were fairly hard to find. The first can be found on YouTube but only as karaoke versions and covers as far as I know. Pretty good covers, actually, though nothing can really compare to the original. I could only find the second on the Bandcamp page where I originally found it. I was so attached to them by the time I realized it, though, that I couldn't bring myself to change them. (Fortunately, the third song should be fairly easy to come by on YouTube in its original form.) Something else that I noticed was that despite the fact that Fareeha's choice in music mirrors my own, she ended up having a favorite song. I can't bring myself to choose a single song as a favorite...or find the one that feels right to me so quickly. I suppose it makes sense, though; Fareeha is far more decisive than I am._

 _Only one more thing before the track list, I promise: I don't think I've ever actually mentioned it before but the fragrance that Angela wears is Angel by Thierry Mugler. I know what it must look like I was going for there but I actually chose that based on my own preferences (just as with choosing Bvlgari Black for Fareeha back in chapter three). The unintentional connection didn't make itself apparent to me until I wrote the word "angel" just now. Enjoy the story while I go try to figure out how I managed to miss that for twenty chapters._

 _1\. "Blood" by Mika Nakashima_

 _2\. "Personal Charm" by Deathmøle_

 _3\. "Blue Skies" by BT (featuring Tori Amos)_

Fareeha had been gazing peacefully out of the window to her side in the rear of their transport as they slowly made their way through traffic toward the destination that Lena had arranged. In an instant, however, the peace was interrupted by a sudden wave of disappointment. Before she could stop herself, she gave an exasperated sigh as she felt the transport slowing to a stop. After cursing silently, she looked up to see that her frustration was for nothing when she saw cross traffic ahead of them taking its turn to move through the intersection. Despite her frustration—both with the situation and herself—she couldn't help smiling about it all as she went back to gazing out of the side window, watching people either making their way toward the parade or waiting for it to pass by them. She attempted to take it all in, determined to remember every moment of peace that the day had been giving her. Try as she might to appreciate the seemingly endless sea of carefree expressions, however, her mind failed to take in any of it. A softness leaning against her shoulder and delicately wrapped around her hand and laced between her fingers made it all but impossible to focus on anything else. The moment that she made the attempt, the scent of honey and patchouli reached her nose and sent her head spinning, causing her to forget why she had ever tried.

"I will not bother asking you what you are thinking, love. I will simply stare at you impatiently until you give up and tell me."

Fareeha continued smiling as she considered the fact that the almost musical sound of Angela's voice was the only thing that could pull her out of such a serene moment without enraging her. As she turned toward the sound, a thought occurred to her that suggested that she should indeed be concerned about something. When the soft weight left her shoulder and an impatient pair of bright blue eyes and playful pout came into view, Angela's words finally registered in Fareeha's mind and her body went rigid as it dawned on her that she was about to have to explain the thoughts that were running through her head.

 _Shit._ "It's nothing all that important, really..."

"After everything that we have been through in the last day, I would think that you would know by now that this is a question that you will simply have to get used to answering."

Though the last thing Fareeha wanted to do was make the moment any more embarrassing than it already was, she couldn't deny that Angela was right. It was long since time that she began putting such things behind her; it was a hinderance to their moving forward together and, more than that, it certainly seemed a little silly to be so worried about something so simple given everything that had passed between them just in the last day alone. Still, after so much time spent waiting, hoping and even trying to convince herself to not try, it was difficult to simply put it all aside. There was a very good reason for keeping those feelings buried, after all, even if she had been mistaken about how things would go for her now. _Old habits really do die hard._

"I was just...well...trying to take in everything around me."

Angela raised an eyebrow, looking both suspicious and slightly disappointed. "That is what you hesitated to tell me?"

Fareeha sighed as she leaned back into the plush leather seat. "It's something that I do from time to time when things are going well. It makes it easier to remember them later."

Angela's eyes suddenly flashed with curiosity, making it clear to Fareeha that she wasn't about to escape further questioning. "What are you trying to remember, exactly?"

"Quite literally everything, really...as much as I can, at least. The more small details I take in, the more likely it is that I'll remember one of them later. Even the most seemingly insignificant things like a sound or a scent can make it easy to remember the entire experience."

"A scent?"

 _Shit, shit, shit._

Fareeha was about to curse her luck but considered that it must have sounded slightly unusual. Putting that aside, she knew the look in Angela's eyes all too well to think that she would suddenly lose interest.

"Scents like...well...your perfume."

Angela's cheeks immediately began to take on a rosy tint. "O—oh! I...I see. So that is what you were doing this morning."

"What? When?"

"It was early this morning when we were...still in bed." The rosy tint became more clearly defined as Angela thought back to the moment hours earlier, both the memory and the thought of sharing a bed with Fareeha suddenly leaving her feeling slightly flustered. "I got up for a moment for a glass of water and something to settle my stomach and, when I came back to bed, you were holding me close and breathing deeply."

"I...I was _what_?"

Angela couldn't help smiling at the look of surprise of Fareeha's face. It was nice to not be the only one that seemed to be thrown off balance but, more important to her than that, seeing the normally unshakable Fareeha in such a state was something that she loved. It was a pleasant occasional reminder that there were sides of Fareeha that were only for her to see.

"I was uncertain of just what you were doing at the time. It was so early that it was still dark outside and you were only barely awake at the time, so I figured that there was not much point in trying to ask you just then. Besides, you seemed happy enough given how much you were smiling—"

"I was _smiling_?" Fareeha buried her face in her free hand and, unable to process any more embarrassment at the moment, decided to ignore Angela's poorly stifled laughter and instead attempt to make sense of what had happened. "Did...did I do anything else? Before I crawl into a hole and die, I'd like to make sure I'm doing it for the right reasons."

Angela gave up entirely on attempting to hide her laughter as she kissed Fareeha's cheek before settling back into her new favorite spot on her shoulder. "You worry entirely too much, love. It was not at all unpleasant. Given how I was feeling at the time, it was nice to have something else to smile about."

"Something else?"

It seemed to be Angela's turn to be uncomfortable as she went quiet for a noticeable moment. "Well, to be honest, I had already found one thing to smile about as I was coming back to bed. I...well, I _was_ coming back to bed, after all."

Fareeha's body gradually relaxed as Angela's words began to sink in. Seeing how happy Angela seemed to be about the whole thing made it difficult for Fareeha to ignore the possibility that she may have been overreacting. Still, her curiosity burned as she struggled to remember the early morning hours but couldn't remember anything before waking up long after sunrise.

"So... _did_ I do anything else?"

"You muttered something but it was difficult to make out. It was something about buying ten bottles of something, I believe."

Fareeha couldn't remember having said any such thing but she immediately knew what she must have been thinking. She immediately thought about the bottle of perfume that she had bought so long ago and had hidden in the few personal posessions she kept in the barracks in Giza. She groaned audibly, immediately regretting it when she realized that she had inadvertently piqued Angela's curiosity again. Now that she was in the midst of the conversation, however, she didn't bother trying to avoid it. "I...bought a bottle of your perfume once. I assume that I was thinking about going out and buying more."

"You...you did? Why? You do not normally wear perfume."

"It was difficult to remember after we parted ways, especially when we go months at a time without actually seeing each other. I bought a bottle of it to make it easier. It doesn't smell the same as it does when you wear it for some reason but at least I can remember it properly."

Fareeha was unsettled by the lack of response and even moreso when, after a seemingly endless moment, she felt weight leaving her shoulder again. She slowly turned toward Angela expecting the worst. Instead, she was met with an expression that made Angela look as though she might cry.

"I do not know what to say. I have never...no one has ever..."

Angela struggled for words for a moment but eventually gave up on it entirely, settling for gently caressing Fareeha's face before pulling her close. When their lips met, Fareeha briefly thought that this conversation was for the best before her thoughts and the rest of the world slowly faded out of significance. She couldn't be entirely certain if seconds or hours had passed by the time their lips parted. The soft rose-colored tint on Angela's cheeks was a bright red by the time she managed to speak again, her voice faint and making it apparent that, between action and emotion, she was finding breath to be in short supply.

"I am glad that I went through so much trouble to wear that fragrance so often."

"Trouble?"

"It is a fairly potent fragrance and it can easily overwhelm, particularly in warm weather. Wearing it in Giza without causing anyone to choke took some careful planning."

Fareeha considered asking how she managed it but quickly gave up on the idea as memories of having Anaïs choose a fragrance for her the day before came to mind. Already beginning to feel uneasy, Fareeha pushed the thought aside and settled on asking another question that occurred to her. "Why _did_ you wear it so often? Not that I'm complaining, of course."

"You complimented me on it once. It was...well...exciting that you noticed something about me that you liked. Every time I mentioned it afterward, you always seemed happy about it. Truth be told, it never occurred to me to wear anything else when we were together after that."

Fareeha tried to not look as though she was noticing Angela shifting uncomfortably in her seat. She had also gone quiet, giving the impression that she had more to say but had thought better of it. Getting the feeling that she had just said more than she was entirely comfortable admitting, Fareeha decided to try to put them both on equal ground. "For whatever it's worth, I always appreciated it. It's something that I always looked forward to whenever we would meet. It never smells quite as good in the bottle as it does on you, so being in the presence of the real thing always drives it home that we're actually together."

Angela didn't respond right away but she definitely seemed more relaxed, making Fareeha glad that she had admitted what she was really thinking. After a few seconds, Angela finally managed to speak. "I still cannot believe that you actually bought some of it."

"It wasn't easy. I'd rather not think of how many retailers I went to with nothing more to go on than asking for a perfume bottle in the shape of a blue star. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack...if I wasn't entirely sure what a haystack was and the only people I was able to ask for help had never heard of a needle."

Angela laughed cheerfully as she rested against Fareeha's shoulder again. Now that she was thinking of it, it occurred to Fareeha to wonder why the gesture warranted such a powerful response. After taking a second to think about it, she decided to simply appreciate her good fortune rather than continuing to worry that Angela would think it unusual. It seemed to her that this sort of situation was becoming a recurring theme; it seemed entirely inexplicable to her but it also suggested that she was doing something right. Better still, Angela was happy.

Angela closed her eyes, still smiling serenely as another question occurred to her. "I cannot help wondering why something so simple—and wonderful—was so difficult for you to share with me."

Now that the moment had passed, Fareeha had to think about it for a moment before she remembered what had made her want to keep quiet about it. "I was...worried. I thought that you would think it strange."

"It is not strange. It is sweet...and it makes me certain that I chose wisely when I chose you."

A silence passed that gave Fareeha the impression that she was expected to have something to say in response but nothing occurred to her. With no idea what the appropriate thing to say in such a situation might be, she did as she usually did and defaulted to telling the truth about what she was thinking. "I know I've said it before but I don't have much experience with this sort of thing. I don't know what is or isn't appropriate. I just figured that it was best to err on the side of caution."

Angela's smile widened as she gently squeezed Fareeha's hand. "You do not have to worry about such things with me. I will be amazed to find anything about you that I do not love." Just as Fareeha was beginning to think that she had gotten through the conversation, however, it occurred to Angela that she had yet to get an answer for the question that had started the conversation. "By the way, why did you look so disappointed earlier?"

"Hmm? Did I?"

"You sighed...several times, come to think of it. You never sigh without a good reason."

Fareeha was as happy as she was frustrated by the fact that Angela was so attentive. As much as she loved the thought that Angela thought enough of her to get to know her so well, it wasn't entirely convenient when she was expected to voice her thoughts. "I was a bit disappointed when we came to a stop. I thought that the trip was over."

"Why were you worried about that?"

Fareeha didn't say anything as she took a sudden interest in looking out of the window. When she gave Angela's hand a gentle squeeze, however, Angela had the answer that she was looking for. When she looked up at Fareeha to see her looking out of the window and doing her level best to keep her face fixed in its usual neutral expression, Angela had to struggle to not start laughing again. Despite how stern and composed Fareeha was, she was undeniably cute at times like this. Laughing hardly seemed like the best way to reward the honest response, however; it was difficult enough for her to be open about these kinds of things without getting the feeling that she was being laughed at for her trouble. _She will never admit it but she needs to be reassured._

"There is no need to worry about running out of moments like this. I fully intend to see to it that you have no end of them."

Fareeha did her best to maintain her composure but it took no small amount of effort to not give another telltale sigh. It wasn't at all a surprising development but she still felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. The thought of feeling this way every day still seemed like too much to hope for. When she considered it, however, she found herself with a sudden urge to try to enjoy the moment rather than try to remember it. She leaned back into her seat again and, after taking a moment to kiss the top of Angela's head, she closed her eyes and pushed away all thoughts that threatened to take her out of the moment.

Several tranquil minutes passed before an interruption came along that Fareeha couldn't ignore. The sounds of a guitar tore through the silence and startled both her and Angela out of their moment of peace. (1) This time, they groaned in unison.

"I believe that will be _your_ phone, love."

Fareeha gave an uncharacteristic pout as, after a long pause, she forced herself to take her hand away from Angela's to reach into her pocket. _This is the only time that I haven't wanted to hear that song._ Finally managing to pull out her phone, she looked at the screen to see Lena's name displayed on it. She took a moment to compose herself before she answered for fear that she would make Lena think that she was anything but appreciative of her. She had a feeling that Lena wouldn't call her unless it was a matter of great importance but it was still difficult for her to not be annoyed by the interruption.

"Hello?" Fareeha put the phone to her ear but pulled it away immediately as the noise of what sounded like hundreds of people talking at once reminded her of the headache that she had almost forgotten about earlier in the day. Feeling the pounding in her head slowly regaining strength, she sent the call to the transport's speakers before speaking again. "Oxt—Lena? Are you there?"

"Pharah! Yeah, I'm here! Sorry about the noise! It looks like you're close—I think I can see you coming up the road! Listen, come straight to the side of the stage and find me when you get out, alright? Don't worry about the crowd."

"Crowd? What crowd?" Fareeha looked out of her window again and felt her stomach churn violently, again reminding her of how she'd been feeling all morning. In her attempt to enjoy the moment rather than worry that it was coming to an end, she had failed to notice that they seemed to be nearing their destination. There were people standing on either side of the street that looked like they were waiting for the parade to pass them but the overwhelming majority were gathering around a stage that had been built in the parking area of a nearby business. It was elaborately decorated with streamers and signs, all of which were in German. They were trimmed in white and pale blue but were largely bearing shades of pink that reminded her of a rather unpleasant thought that she had regarding her Raptora armor the previous day. Fareeha didn't even bother trying to guess at what they said, already preoccupied with expecting the worst as she remembered the festival the day before and all of the attention that she had been trying to dodge since.

"Don't worry, they're not here for you...well, not exactly. You won't have to do much, really; just stand around where the cameras can see you and look like you want to be here."

"I'll...do my best."

Much to Fareeha's frustration, Lena laughed loudly enough to be heard over the sound of the crowd. "That'll be enough! I know you don't want to deal with this but there's really no getting around it. I'll make sure they keep it to a minimum, though...besides, this is really for Mercy. I've got to get up there; they're waiting on me. I'll see you in a minute!"

When the call disconnected, Fareeha leaned back into her seat and aimed a sour look out of the windows again as she watched someone ushering their transport through the crowd. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was thankful for the tinted windows that afforded her a few more precious minutes of not having to keep her face composed for the sake of onlookers and avoiding another string of complaints from Fawzy about not keeping up appearances. Her attention was only pulled away from her frustration when she heard Angela's voice mirroring her own feelings, sounding exhausted and slightly annoyed.

"Tracer is certainly enjoying herself. Then again, I would likely be having fun with it all myself if I were feeling a bit better and did not have things that I would rather be doing."

Before Fareeha could ask what she meant, she felt Angela pulling her phone out of her hand. She placed it in her lap before taking Fareeha's hand again, holding her tightly as though determined to not let go again. Though Fareeha was still feeling irritated, she couldn't maintain her bad mood after Angela had made such a strong statement.

"What do you think she meant when she said that this was for you?"

Angela's brow furrowed in contemplation. "I can only guess. It is Tracer, though, so I am willing to trust her if she expects me to enjoy this. I also get the feeling that this has something to do with Overwatch if she believes this to be necessary. I expect that this is a last minute surprise that the public relations department came up with."

Fareeha repressed a shudder. As much as she had always dreamed of being a member of Overwatch, she couldn't deny that the thought of dealing with another Fawzy gave her pause. Realizing that she was starting to feel overwhelmed, she pushed the thought aside and tried to focus on getting through the experience and back to her holiday.

"Well, I suppose there isn't any sense in worrying about it if it has to be done. It sounds like she's going to try to rush us through whatever this is, anyway."

Angela smiled cheerfully, her mood seeming to brighten considerably. "It is times like this that make me glad to have you nearby. No matter how bad the situation, you always find a way to make it bearable. It is reassuring, to say the least."

Fareeha's face tightened as she tried to force the smile off of her face out of habit. She was never particularly good at receiving compliments; where Angela was concerned, she was always certain that the smile that always formed on her face immediately afterward made her look ridiculous. Seeing the laughter that Angela was clearly trying to hide made her painfully aware of the fact that her attempt had failed, so she instead decided to change the subject. Much to her surprise, Angela beat her to it.

"What was that song? I do not believe that I have ever heard that ringtone before."

"Oh, that? It's my default ringtone. It's my favorite song...although I don't really feel right about having a default ringtone for someone that I actually like." Fareeha thought quietly for a moment, then picked up her phone from Angela's lap and quickly scrolled through a list of songs before stopping on one in particular. (2) She set it as Lena's new ringtone and placed it in her lap only to have Angela pick it up again out of curiosity.

"I probably should not be surprised that you managed to think of one so quickly. I should also not be surprised that I have never heard of it." Angela set the song to play and, though she initially looked relaxed by it, she jumped when a gentle guitar intro suddenly shifted to something so powerful that it sounded like a different song entirely. It was Fareeha's turn to supress a laugh as she watched Angela struggle to appreciate the music while she looked like she wanted nothing more than to cover her ears.

"It's a lovely song, really...though it's admittedly pretty far removed from what you normally like. It suits her, though, I think. It's intense and a little difficult to keep up with at times but it's fun and puts you in a good mood." After failing utterly to hold back a new wave of laughter at the puzzled expression that Angela gave her, she amended her statement. "Well, it puts _me_ in a good mood."

"I..I see. At least, I am pretty sure that I do." Angela ignored her urge to pay Fareeha back for her laughter and repressed the urge to show how relieved she was to see her take the phone back and stop the song.

"We still have a few minutes, so let me see if I can find something else appropriate that we can both appreciate."

Angela reached out and wrapped her fingers around the phone, determined to start the song again out of fear that she hadn't hidden her thoughts well enough and had managed to hurt Fareeha's feelings. "The song is not bad, really...there is no need to stop it."

Much to Angela's surprise, Fareeha laughed in response. "Are you sure about that? Seven minutes is a long time for a song, after all."

" _Seven minutes?_ It is seven minutes long? How? _Why?_ "

Her determination to hide her feelings forgotten, Angela let go of the phone as if she thought it might burn her. This caused Fareeha to roar with laughter as she scrolled through another list of songs. She settled on one and handed the phone back to Angela as she composed herself. (3)

"Here...this should be a bit better."

Angela gave Fareeha another pout, giving way to another fit of laughter as she looked at the title of the song. Again, it was unfamiliar to her. This one was much more peaceful, however; it gave her the feeling that Fareeha was trying to inspire the same feelings with this song that she had felt while listening to the previous one. Though she hadn't entirely recovered from the shock, Angela couldn't deny that if that was what Fareeha had intended, she had certainly been successful.

"To be honest, this _is_ quite a bit better. I think I understand what you meant about being intense and fun at the same time. What is it about?"

Fareeha shrugged in response. "I would like to say that it's more or less what it sounds like it's about. Given who it is that's singing it, though, I can only guess. As much as I love her music, it can be difficult to guess. I've been wrong more than once. I just take it at face value until I learn better."

Curious, Angela was about to ask for more information but stopped when she felt their transport do the same. Their driver exited and made his way to the rear to open their door, looking as thoroughly harrassed over having to fight through the crowd as they were. As soon as his door opened, the noise outside filled the transport like a flood until he had closed it behind him. Again, Fareeha and Angela groaned in unison. Fareeha took one more look out of her window and saw that most of the crowd near the stage had turned its attention in her direction. A small staff wearing uniforms decorated with the Overwatch insignia were just barely keeping them from closing in on them.

"Let's get this over with."

Angela chuckled as she took another opportunity to kiss Fareeha's cheek. "I love your determination...but do try to remember that Tracer wants us to look like we want to be there. Do not worry about it too much. We will be done soon enough and then we can enjoy the festival and head back home."

For a moment, Angela felt a familiar sense of dread when she heard her own words. Habit triggered her fear of suggesting more than she intended. _Things are already moving so quickly..._ Seeing Fareeha smile in response changed her disposition immediately, however, reminding her of her determination to stop worrying so much and her insisting that Fareeha do the same. Her determination renewed, she forced herself to steer the conversation away from her thoughts.

"I take it that you agree? Either that or you are anxious to be done with this."

Fareeha's smile widened slightly as they stepped out in front of the waiting crowd. "It's a little of both, I suppose...although it's also that I'm getting tired of being wrong."

"How so?"

"I keep expecting the worst but I keep being proven wrong, so I think that it might be time that I start acting like I'm on vacation. It looks like this day is determined to be good one way or another and my nerves are causing me to miss it."

Angela took Fareeha's arm as she began giving her practiced wave to the crowd that wasted no time screaming their responses. Despite the chaos around her, she barely took any notice of it as they were ushered along the only clear path to the side of the stage. For the moment, Fareeha and her words were the only thing clearly registering in her mind. _As usual, you are right, love. I will be relying on your example as much as you are relying on mine._


	23. Parting Clouds

_I can't believe that I'm actually writing this but today marks the one year anniversary of Flight of Fancy. It hasn't been easy but it has certainly been rewarding. It's hard to believe that something that I started and uploaded on a whim has become something so important to me. I've learned as much about myself from doing this as I have from anything else I've ever done in life...if not more. More than that, I've met no end of wonderful people in an equally wonderful community as a direct result of having written this. I'm struggling to think of ways to express my appreciation to all of you for supporting me in the writing of this story but I'm failing miserably. For the moment, I'll just say that I want to thank you all for everything that you've given me and I can only hope that I can give you as much in return._

 _I wanted this to be a bit more of an elaborate presentation for such a significant milestone but time simply didn't allow for it. There's a small bonus chapter in the works that I wanted to include with this chapter but, as it often happens, one chapter turned into two. Rather than force things along or post it out of order, I decided to instead wait until after the next chapter posts before I upload it. I've been trying to stick to uploading on Fridays to keep from overloading myself, so I'll be planning on getting the bonus chapter uploaded next week along with the next update. I won't say what it's about other than that I thought that it might be a nice way to thank you all for the past year by finally bring some significant attention to something that people have been saying they've wanted to see since I first made mention of it. If you're one of those people, you'll likely know what I'm talking about by the time you finish this chapter._

 _I also wanted to include some special music for this chapter but it just didn't fit given what's going on at the moment. I think I'll save it for the bonus chapter along with...well, you'll see._

Angela drifted peacefully along the walkway as she held Fareeha's arm for support as much as desire. Having never managed to recuperate completely from the night before, what little strength she had managed to recover seemed to have already been exhausted. Somewhere in the back of her mind, it occurred to her that it was unusual to be at peace when the source of her troubles were all around her. It had been a difficult morning and, naturally, the world saw to it that she wouldn't be allowed to spend it in pleasant recovery. It was the sort of situation that would usually cause her blood to boil once thrust upon her but, at the moment, she was utterly incapable of summoning the familiar frustration and anger that would normally press on her patience like flood waters on the walls of a dam. She wasn't worried that the dam may burst in the same way that she wasn't worried that the river may flood; both were inevitable when it rained hard enough and long enough and there was seemingly nothing to be done for it. Trying to stop the dam from bursting was like trying to stop the clouds from raining in the first place. Her concern was that it would burst at an inopportune time. An evening of sulking and seeking bottled comfort was all well and good when there were no cameras nearby but, given that not being left alone was the source of the problem, it was difficult to not imagine that she would spend the entirety of the day keeping the flood waters at bay long enough to find some privacy.

Angela maintained her carefully constructed and practiced smile as event officials in Overwatch uniforms ushered her through the crowd, surprised to see that it was nothing like the arduous task that she had come to know. She never never felt her face shift in the least as she made her way to the side of the hastily constructed stage. She kept expecting to feel a familiar fatigue starting to creep into her cheeks and jaw that would slowly become pain as the day wore on but, so far, it hadn't made itself apparent. As she and Fareeha were directed to seats on one side of the stage, she caught sight of Fareeha's stern and composed expression and realized that smiling wasn't difficult because she was legitimately happy. She took her own seat and, after taking Fareeha's hand again, she returned her attention to the crowd and had to stop herself from laughing at her own surprise as she had nearly forgotten that they were there. Somehow, no situation could pull her attention away from Fareeha entirely; though she estimated the faces in front of her to number in the hundreds and steadily growing, all of them combined couldn't hope to equal even one of Fareeha. She was vaguely aware of a growing commotion that was slowly eclipsing even the raucous din that met her ears when the transport's doors opened, it took a sudden clearing of the throat that sounded as though it was coming from all around her for her to finally pull her attention away from Fareeha long enough to determine the cause of it.

"Look...I know it's a big deal and I'm freaking out about it as much as any of you, but we _do_ have a bit of a presentation to get through. They just wanted to be here to see it too, is all. Now, about this announcement..."

Angela looked to the center of the stage to see Lena struggling to get the crowd's attention again. In her attempt to determine how she had lost them, she looked out to the crowd itself for clues. It was difficult to determine what they may have been thinking as they were all too animated to discern what they might have been thinking. Many were jumping in place and shouting; only the smiles on their faces made it apparent that it was at least something positive. The eyes of most of those closest to the stage seemed to be locked on her but the overwhelming majority of the people in front of her seemed to be looking up over her head. She followed their gaze to a large monitor above the stage and saw what she immediately recognized as Fareeha's hand filling it. Though she only saw a simple golden band on her smallest finger, she had seen it so many times that she was certain that it couldn't possibly be anything else. She glanced down and saw their hands clasped and fingers laced together as Fareeha unconsciously and delicately stroked the back of her thumb with her own. She looked up at the monitor again and saw the same gentle motion of Fareeha's thumb being broadcast for the benefit of the audience. When Angela looked to the opposite end of the stage, she saw a camera fixed on the two of them. It had likely been following them as they took their seats and, when she had taken Fareeha's hand, the camera's operator had taken an opportunity to broadcast the simple and intimate moment to anyone that desired to witness it.

 _Ugh...utterly shameless._

Angela turned away from both the camera and the crowd, looking off stage in the opposite direction as she felt her face flush. She couldn't tell whether the camera operator was with Overwatch or a news outlet but she quickly decided that it didn't matter all that much. Either way, she was being used for the reaction that she would pull from the viewers. Though she was beginning to desire a target for her anger, she didn't dare look in the direction of the camera again for fear that it may now be fixed on her face. Her public image dictated that she was expected to maintain an air of dignity at all times and, as always, this meant that she wasn't allowed to visibly react even at times like this. Remembering her duty, she returned to her fixed polite smile that was finally giving her a slight fatigue in her cheeks.

"—they're so cute—"

"—perfect couple!"

"I always knew—"

As Lena regained control and continued speaking, the bedlam coming from the audience settled to a dull roar and made several of the people near the front just barely audible. Angela felt a different sense of fatigue in her face as pieces of conversations from the crowd reached her ears, slowly coming to the realization that rather than trying to keep a smile on her face, she was trying to keep it from growing. She did her level best to continue to be infuriated by the invasion of her privacy for the sake of personal gain but something about the way everyone seemed to be showing the same excitement over her relationship that she was struggling to keep under control. It gave her the feeling that people were sharing in her joy rather than simply using her for entertainment. Without thinking, she leaned against Fareeha and settled into the comfortable spot against her shoulder, signaling another joyous uproar from the crowd that Lena again had to stop and allow to die down before continuing her speech. Angela abandoned her attempt to hide her smile as eyes focused on both her and the monitor above her and hundreds of voices screamed their approval. The thought was too new to her for her to be able to trust it but she couldn't help feeling some relief. Between this new thought and a sudden gentle and reassuring squeeze from Fareeha's hand, the pressure that she was feeling coming from the people around her felt as though it was slowly disappearing. It was being replaced with a feeling of warmth and comfort that came with acceptance and support, making her think of a lesser version of the feeling that came from being near Fareeha.

 _It is a nice feeling but no number of them could hope to compare to my...Fareeha? Wait...something is not right._

Angela's mind raced as she tried to place what was suddenly off about her situation. Her thoughts went back to the squeeze that Fareeha's hand had given her and she realized that the gentle pressure hadn't let up yet. More than that, Fareeha's entire body seemed to have become tense, as though she was anticipating danger. Her eyes seemed to be locked on one of the many pink and white signs that had been posted all around the stage, giving Angela the impression that she was attempting to determine what they might mean. Lost in her own thoughts, she had completely failed to take any more notice of them before than she had of the crowd or what Lena had been talking about all of this time. As the signs were all in German, it was little surprise that Fareeha seemed to be struggling to make sense of them. She read them quickly and, on noticing what they were all suggesting, Lena's words suddenly registered in her mind and it instantly became clear that their being seen in public together was only one part of the reason for their attendance. They were there for their reactions to the announcement as much as for any other reason.

 _Oh! Oh...oh, dear._

Angela gave Fareeha a worried glance. She didn't look the least bit panicked, but Angela knew her well enough to know that she was just exceptionally skilled at hiding her emotions. Fareeha was quick on the uptake, to say the least; even without the benefit of knowing enough German to translate the signs around them, her suddenly going rigid made it apparent that she had surely figured out why they had to be in attendance. Despite the relaxed and informal nature of the event that the coordinators were clearly attempting to create, it was an official event nonetheless. That meant formal speech, carefully measured responses and no end of pretending to be something that you weren't. Even on a good day, Fareeha would have little patience for any such things.

 _Fortunately for us, this is a specialty of mine. I will get us through this._

Though it was a risk in terms of the success of the event, Angela leaned in and spoke to Fareeha as softly as the noise around them allowed. "Do not worry, love. I will prompt you if it becomes necessary." The words didn't sound nearly as reassuring as she had hoped but, when she felt Fareeha's grip on her hand ease, she was sure that she had managed to get through to her.

Angela's thoughts were interrupted as she heard Lena's voice come over the speakers around them and finally confirm her suspicions. "So yeah, we know you've been waiting for this one! We're still not gonna make the official announcement until the press conference next week but she said that Sechseläuten looked like fun and she didn't want to miss it. You know how much she loves coming out to see you, so when she turned up yesterday I figured we might as well go ahead and let you all in on this now. Personally, I think she just doesn't get out much and could do with going on holiday once in a while."

Laughter erupted from the crowd but died out immediately as nearly all eyes turned toward the back of the crowd in response to several excited screams. Angela looked toward the source of the new disturbance and saw a white limousine crawl to a stop not far from where she had been let out moments ago. A driver stepped out and, the moment she had made her way to the rear door that was facing the audience, Lena lost their attention completely as nearly everyone in attendance went into another frenzy. Looking as though she had given up on trying to hold their attention any longer, she seemed to settle for turning up the volume on her microphone in hopes of being heard over them.

"Right on time! Everyone, please welcome the newest addition to Overwatch, _Hana Song!_ "

Angela quickly gave Fareeha's hand a reassuring squeeze of her own as the sound around them went from excited clamoring to something more closely resembling an explosion. Guilt washed over her as the peaceful afternoon that she had promised evaporated right in front of them. The announcement of a new member of Overwatch would draw enough attention to potentially overshadow the festival itself; announcing this particular addition would draw every eye for miles around once it became apparent what was happening. Worst of all was that it had to be Hana Song. Fareeha always seemed ill at ease whenever the name came up; she had long ago stopped even mentioning it in her presence. Angela glanced around at the cameras and, seeing all of them focused on the small figure in the distance clad in a blue and white bodysuit making its way toward the stage, she was certain that they weren't recording purely for the sake of posterity. Despite her desire to silently reassure Fareeha, she fidgeted nervously as she wondered how Lena could possibly get them out of the center of this growing insanity. As much as she wanted to be supportive, she found herself looking around and, once she was certain that everyone's attention was still on Hana, she dared to look to Fareeha in hopes of some measure of reassurance that things would somehow end well. To her surprise as much as her relief, Fareeha's expression had yet to change. Her jaw was tightly clenched and her posture was as stiff as a board but, to the casual observer that didn't know her personally, her demeanor was as neutral as ever. Angela leaned in closer and spoke in a voice that she hoped would be masked by the applause that continued to echo around them.

"Are...are you alright, love?"

"I'm going to kick her ass."

"You...what?" Angela raised an eyebrow, confused by the response as she was expecting nervousness in Hana's presence rather than anger. She followed Fareeha's gaze and couldn't stop herself from laughing when she saw that Fareeha's eyes were fixed on Lena. "Oh, come now...you can't mean that."

"I'm going to kick her ass." Fareeha's eyes never left Lena as she repeated herself. "I'm going to take her out for a nice dinner or shopping or something to thank her for all of her help yesterday and then I'm going to kick her ass."

Angela buried her face in Fareeha's shoulder in a desperate attempt to hide the laughter that she couldn't hold back. By the time she had managed to calm herself, she realized that she had become the focus of a number of inquisitive gazes. Panic attempted to set in as she realized that she had made a crucial mistake; public appearances were carefully constructed and orchestrated affairs, even in the case of seemingly informal gatherings such as this. Even the smallest interruption can derail weeks of planning and instantly turn a success into a failure. Unsure of how to smooth things over, she simply smiled politely. Eyes darted back and forth between her and Fareeha in search of context but found nothing about Fareeha's expression that answered their questions. If anything, she seemed to be avoiding making eye contact with anyone. When eyes turned toward Lena in confusion, she did her best to recover.

"Oh, don't mind them! You know how lovebirds can be! Now, how about a few words from our newest recruit?"

An event official handed Hana a microphone as she made her way to the center of the stage. As she began addressing the crowd, Angela breathed a sigh of relief as all eyes moved to Hana, indicating that their attention had been successfully diverted. She tried to pay attention to the speech but found herself glancing at frantic movement that she saw in the corner of her eye. She felt a pang of guilt when she looked up to see Lena, who had been trying to catch her attention, giving a curious stare of her own. Unable to respond properly, she shrugged and smiled sheepishly. Lena rolled her eyes and laughed, her usual way of saying that all was forgiven. Her worries alleviated for the moment, she turned her attention back to the speech that seemed to already be coming to a close. _Strange...I suppose it really was assembled at the last minute._

Lena took center stage again as Hana took her leave, signaling another explosion of applause. Angela looked up in surprise, wondering how she had managed to miss the entire speech. It had only been several minutes long but she couldn't recall a single word that she'd heard. She had heard celebrities speak to the public so many times—her own speeches included—that it wasn't difficult for her to guess how it had gone. Despite this, she couldn't help feeling guilty about having been so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she had completely forgotten to take note of what was happening enough to assist Fareeha. Racing to catch up to the present, she reluctantly released Fareeha's hand to join in the applause and, after a gentle nudge from her thigh, Fareeha took her cue to join in as well. As Lena was waiting for the noise to die down enough to be heard, Angela took advantage of the pause to give Fareeha some direction.

"Nod your head as if you agree with what I am saying." Angela resisted the urge to cringe when Fareeha gave a curt nod that looked nothing like what she had planned. "Do...do you think that you can smile?"

"I tried once. Someone thought that I was baring my teeth at him."

Though Angela wanted to believe that Fareeha was joking, she was forced to admit that she had trouble imagining Fareeha's trying to force a smile and it hardly seemed like a good time to risk making an attempt. "What about a laugh?"

"I can only imagine that it's like the bared teeth, only with noise."

Angela felt increasingly miserable as she struggled and failed to think of a way to make things easier for Fareeha or better for the event. "Just nod again...a bit longer this time."

Fareeha nodded again, this time more casually and looking a bit more believable. Resisting the urge to sigh in relief, Angela took her hand again and attempted to relax as she waited for the event to officially come to a close. Just as she was thinking that they were at least through the worst of it, she again felt Fareeha go tense. Angela looked up to see Fareeha's expression turn to one of horror and, when she looked around for what could have possibly provoked such a response, she saw Lena heading their way with a microphone in hand.

 _Scheisse._

Angela didn't have to look around to know that all eyes and cameras were on the two of them. Even if there had been an opportunity to say anything to Fareeha without being noticed, she wouldn't have had any idea what could have brought her any comfort at such a time. She noticed that Lena was giving a reassuring smile as she approached but, no matter what her intentions might have been, only disaster seemed like a possibility.

As usual, Lena didn't miss anything. Rather than try to gloss over the tension in the air, she wasted no time in addressing and immediately downplaying it. "Relax, Pharah! You look like you're about to testify in court! Come on, you knew this was coming! Everybody wants to hear about you two, am I right?" Lena turned to the audience as if for confirmation despite the fact that they were already so worked up that Angela felt as though the noise was physically pressing down on her. When Lena turned her microphone in their direction, Angela saw her opportunity to turn attention away from Fareeha and quickly threw herself into the conversation.

"Well, I suppose that you could say that it has been a long time coming."

Lena looked relieved when Angela spoke up and quickly moved to make her the center of attention. "So yeah, people have been bugging me all morning to give them details. Since you're both here, maybe you can answer their questions for me. Let's see here..." Lena pulled out her phone and began scrolling through a list before speaking again. "It looks like the most popular one trending just now is...how long have the two of you been a thing?"

"As I said, this has been a long time coming."

"Been carrying a torch for her for a while then, yeah?"

"Nearly...nearly as long as I have known her."

Angela turned away reflexively as she felt warmth spreading through her face; in her haste to take part in the conversation and draw attention to herself, she'd said something that she was certain that she'd never actually said aloud before. It was certainly true, however; so many months had passed so slowly as she struggled with her feelings and attempted to gauge Fareeha's that, now that they were in the past, they felt as though they could fill a lifetime of their own.

"And what about you, Pharah?"

Fareeha looked quite unlike herself as she nervously looked anywhere other than at Lena or the audience. "It was the same for me." Angela unconsciously gave Fareeha's hand another gentle squeeze that, after a moment, Fareeha returned.

"Really? What took you two so long to get together, then?"

Angela flinched as her conversation with Fareeha came rushing back to her thoughts in an instant. Though the question itself was harmless, she couldn't think of a single part of the truth that she was willing to admit to publicly. She was so preoccupied with trying to find a suitable response that she nearly jumped in surprise when she heard Fareeha beat her to it.

"Well, it's not like we knew each other well or anything...also, I had no way of knowing how she felt. At first, I wasn't even sure about how _I_ felt. It was all very confusing."

Lena seemed to notice something was off about the situation and gave a hurried response before steering the conversation in a different direction. "Well, yeah, that's how these things go, I guess. At least it all worked out, though, right? Let's see...the next popular question has already been answered, I guess...people want to know about what happened in Anjou last night."

Angela didn't even bother trying to give a socially acceptable polite pause. The burning on her face and the laughter and occasional whistle from the audience made her painfully aware of the fact that her face had already given her away. Her mind had immediately gone back to their time spent in the restaurant where, after so much time spent hoping and attempting to create the perfect opportunity, she had kissed Fareeha for the first time. For a brief moment she was in that booth again, intoxicated by the fragrance of amber and vanilla coming from Fareeha's skin and anticipating the flavor of lipstick that wasn't her own.

Realizing that there was no point in giving the responses that the public relations office would approve of anymore, Angela didn't bother to hold back a of giggling that turned into outright laughter as she saw Fareeha's cheek shift almost instantly from mocha to burgundy. Her stern gaze was entirely gone, replaced by a look that suggested that she was formulating an exit strategy. Though she felt guilty for being happy about discussing something that made Fareeha so uncomfortable, Angela couldn't deny how strange it was for someone that she had seen stare death in the face as a matter of course to flinch over something like this. She did feel sympathy, however, leading her to again steer the conversation back in her own direction.

"That was...my fault. After months of waiting and planning, I could not simply let the moment pass me by. I had been waiting for it for a very long time, after all."

Something in Lena's expression told Angela that she had somehow managed to say too much. The sly grin suggested that there was an uncomfortable question on the horizon.

"Well, I can't say that I don't get that. I think everybody is curious about something else, though...I get the months of waiting but what do you mean by _planning_ , exactly?"

 _Verdammt._

Angela looked utterly mortified when she realized her mistake. Lena stared at her intently as she bounced in place in anticipation of a response. There didn't appear to be any refuge in sight; everyone in attendance seemed to be holding their breath and every eye was on her, including Fareeha's. Angela considered gracefully backing out of answering the question until she saw the expectant and hopeful look in Fareeha's eyes. _I have told her most of this and she has likely figured out the rest already but...she deserves to know that I wanted this as much as she did._

After taking a deep breath and clearing her throat, Angela forced her words out in a voice that seemed too meek and timid to be her own. "Well...I was not aware of her feelings any more than she was aware of mine. I did not know how to proceed or...well...if I even should. Still, I could not stay away. When I realized how I felt, it was already too late to even think of doing anything else. I planned vacations every time I found an excuse for us to spend time together. Still, I took things slowly and carefully measured her responses before I took another step. She was too important to me to take chances. I...could not bear to lose her. I cannot."

Angela kept her eyes cast downward as she went quiet. Neither her mind nor her voice would allow her to continue. Now that so much had passed between the two of them, it was difficult for her to remember how difficult it had been to get through that endless time when everything was a mystery and she had no way of knowing how things may turn out. Not knowing any more than she did at the time, her every step forward felt as though it was fraught with peril and threatened to be the undoing of their friendship. Even now, much remained unknown. It was nothing, however, compared to guessing at her every action and, more often than not, second guessing them. It wasn't until she felt Fareeha's arm wrap around her gently that she was able to pull herself out of those thoughts and remember that it had all been worthwhile. The simple gesture eased her mind and made her grateful for the opportunity to give a voice to the thoughts that, with everything that had happened since her conversation with Fareeha the night before, she hadn't realized were still weighing on her so heavily.

Lena stood in a stunned silence; with even the audience not giving an audible reaction outside of whispered murmurs, she began to worry that what was supposed to be a good time had gone too far in a direction that she had never intended. She struggled to think of a way to turn things around and had difficulty not voicing her relief when Fareeha managed the task on her behalf.

"I'm certainly glad that you did. Had it been left up to me, I would still be pretending that I didn't have any feelings at all."

Though Lena didn't intend to make Fareeha the center of attention if only because she didn't expect it to be appreciated, Angela clearly needed a moment to recover and Fareeha had provided a perfect opportunity for it. "So you _weren't_ going to say anything to her! I knew it!"

"Of course not! I wanted to but...well, it seems ridiculous to be worried about it in hindsight, I suppose. Still, I didn't know any of this at the time. I was worried about what would happen as well, though I didn't even think there was a chance. I thought I was just being ridiculous."

Fareeha's words again pulled Angela out of her own thoughts entirely. At that moment, her only thoughts were of again confirming that Fareeha had been mistaken. Too flustered to consider the best way to do so, she settled for the first response that occurred to her. She leaned in and kissed Fareeha's cheek before settling into her place on her shoulder again and smiling peacefully. The feeling of Fareeha's posture softening significantly assured her that her message had been communicated effectively.

Just as she was getting comfortable, Angela jumped and sat up straight when the audience once again exploded into applause and cheering that made her wonder for a moment if Hana had come back on stage. She looked toward the crowd and saw a level of joy and excitement that made her want to join them. Again, she found herself wondering if perhaps they were genuinely moved by their story; it seemed too much to hope for after having spent her entire adult life and much of her late childhood as either a source of entertainment or a means to some other end. Seeing the smiles and even tears of many of these same people made her think that, even though there were surely those that still saw her as a means to an end, there were possibly others that were actually happy for her.

Lena, who had just been thinking that she was glad that the applause had managed to drown out her sigh of relief, decided that it was likely best to bring things to an end before things could potentially take a wrong turn again. "Well, that was certainly a beautiful story and I want to thank you both for taking time to share it! I think I've taken up enough of your time, though—" She was cut off by groans of disapproval from the audience but she simply waved them away. "No, no, they're on holiday, remember? Besides, they want to see the festival, too! They can't spend the whole thing here with us. Don't worry, I'm sure they'll talk to us again. Go on, you two, get out of here. Go have fun! Hana's waiting for you."

As Lena returned to center stage to speak to the audience and bring the short event to a close, officials came to escort Fareeha and Angela off of the stage and back to their transport. Once they were standing, Angela wasted no time taking Fareeha's arm. Once they were walking, Angela leaned in and spoke as quietly as the noise around them allowed.

"Well, we made it. Tracer did not keep us all that long after all." When Fareeha merely nodded in response, Angela looked worried. "What is wrong, love?"

"She's waiting for us. Why?"

 _Oh...I suppose that we may not be quite done yet._ Angela thought about it for the remainder of their walk but, as they were getting back into their transport, she had yet to come up with an explanation. "I cannot say. I doubt that it is anything to do with the event, however. If it was, Tracer would have warned us."

Though Angela had intended to ease Fareeha's mind, she only looked more worried about the matter. "That makes even less sense. What would she want with either of us?"

"I do not know, although I suspect that she does not want to speak with us as much as she wants to speak with you."

"Wait...she what?"

"I have spoken to her on several occasions after she was first submitted as a candidate. She did not show any particular interest in speaking with me after our first meeting. I can only assume that she would like to meet you."

"Me? But... _why_?"

Angela tried to contain her laughter but failed miserably when Fareeha's expression of abject horror reminded her of a similar look that she had given the day before during a conversation about signing autographs for children. It took her the better part of a minute of effort and remembering that this seemed to be a source of genuine concern for Fareeha for her to compose herself enough to finally respond.

"Why...why would she _not_ want to meet you?"

"I would think that she'd have something better to do. She's a world famous celebrity."

"I know that you often forget this, love, but so are you." When she saw that Fareeha looked more confused than assured, she added, "do not worry about it. It cannot be anything bad. We will meet with her and find out what she wants, then we will find a good spot to watch the parade."

Fareeha finally managed to relax once she had a clear objective. "Very well...I suppose it won't kill me." She paused, appearing to be considering her next words carefully. "So, what did you think? Being on stage, I mean. That was...quite a bit of information to put out there. Are you alright?"

Angela thought about it for a moment and had to admit that, though it had been difficult to answer those kinds of questions at all much less publicly, she had certainly enjoyed it. The overwhelming majority of the things that made her who she was were kept private, though not as a result of valuing her privacy as much as avoiding the consequences of having them known to the public. She couldn't recall the last time that she had been able to share who she truly was with anyone without fear of the reaction that she would receive. Even her time in Overwatch, which was at one point the crowning achievement of her career, had only recently become something that she could discuss openly again. This moment in her life was more important than any of it and, much to her surprise, people not only supported her choices in life but wanted to share some small part of it. She couldn't say why but it meant so much to her that the thought of it was overwhelming. Unable to find the words to do her thoughts justice, she merely smiled and nodded before asking a question of her own.

"What about you? Are you alright? I know that you do not enjoy such things."

"You seemed as though you were enjoying it. It didn't bother me all that much after I realized that."

"So you are not angry?"

"No, not at all. It was worth it."

"Then Tracer...?"

"Her ass, my size thirty eight hiking boot."

Angela laughed hysterically, causing Fareeha to do the same. Even though she seemed to be satisfied with the result, Angela had to admit that it had indeed been a trying experience. "It cannot be helped, I suppose. It was enjoyable but I would not say that it was easy."

"True. I'm looking forward to this festival but I'll be glad to get back to bed."

Angela felt excitement welling up inside of her when the mention of going to bed triggered a memory of black lingerie that had been placed on the top of Fareeha's clothes in her suitcase. "Does that mean that you will wear that babydoll?" She could only giggle in response when Fareeha's face turned a familiar burgundy before adding, "do not worry, love. I think that I will be able to make it a fair trade."


	24. Clear Skies Ahead

_Given that this story has always been intended to be a first draft that was posted as it was completed, I knew that it would only be a matter of time before I caught a mistake long after I'd made it. In this case, it goes all the way back to the first chapter. This story originally started on a Sunday, which would make the current point in the story Monday afternoon. (It's still hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that Fareeha and Angela are only a few hours beyond the first full day to pass since this story started.) The problem is that this should be Sunday afternoon as they're currently at the Kinderumzug that takes place on the Sunday before Sechseläuten. I looked back and realized that I missed this several times. I saw that I also made a similar mistake in chapter seventeen where Angela references the events of Sechseläuten that won't be taking place until the next day. Please ignore it for now; this is already on my list of changes for the second round of edits but it would take a considerable amount of time to go back and make the appropriate changes so I'm going to have to leave it be for now. Meanwhile, please be aware that in this chapter it is currently supposed to be Sunday afternoon._

 _Again, there's no music to note for this chapter as it simply didn't seem to fit under the current circumstances. Don't be too surprised if I end up making up for lost time with the next chapter, however; my mind is already flooding with possibilities and I can tell that I'm going to have a hard time narrowing down the list. Speaking of the next chapter, it's going to be that bonus chapter that I promised. It seems that most people have managed to correctly guess as to what the focus of that chapter will be. For the sake of anyone that hasn't, however, I'll only say at this point that I hope you like it when it comes out. I still can't say for sure when it will post aside from some point between now and next week's chapter but I'm working on getting it done by Monday evening._

"Hello! Hello, there!"

Fareeha smiled cheerfully at Angela as she watched her waving excitedly out of the heavily tinted window of the private room of a small hotel overlooking the street. Nobody could see them—which seemed to be the point of their being there—though that didn't stop Angela from shouting to the children marching through the street below them. Fareeha was so happy to see her in such a good mood that she didn't dare risk interrupting it by trying to ask her to explain it. Something about the sight made her heart swell.

Feeling warmth rising to her face, Fareeha began to wonder what kind of ridiculous expression she was making. Though Angela seemed to enjoy seeing her at such times and she could never quite regret giving her anything that made her happy, having the opportunity to consider her actions beforehand made the thought too embarrassing for her to follow through with it. That fact aside, looking happy wasn't the sort of thing that she could force. Though she was forced to admit to herself that she would surely give in and smile more around Angela if she could manage to make it look convincing, remembering the last time she made the attempt ended the thought nearly as soon as she had started to consider it. Just as she was beginning to feel disappointed with herself for it, she remembered that Angela seemed to like the fact that she was incapable of managing such a thing. As always, Angela continued to amaze her; Fareeha had considered the matter on a number of occasions and couldn't think of a single example of someone's appreciating her for not being able to manage something. The thought reinforced her decision to not ask Angela for clarification regarding why watching the children marching by made her so happy. Even when she understood the logic behind Angela's thoughts, she was often still left mystified.

Though her thoughts weren't entirely unpleasant, frustration led Fareeha to force herself to turn her attention elsewhere out of habit. She looked around the hotel room and found herself once again staggered by Lena's foresight. Between the stress of being on stage and then having her attention focused solely on Angela once they were back in their transport, it had never occurred to her to ask where they were going. She had been vaguely aware of some mention of a destination but noticing that Angela's softness against her shoulder was becoming a comfortably familiar sensation drove any interest in the matter from her mind. She already knew that they were on their way to watch a parade, after all, which seemed like plenty of information at the time.

It wasn't until the transport had stopped that Fareeha realized that she had no idea where they were. Her usual observational skills had failed her entirely, which left her feeling equally irritated with herself and strangely satisfied when she thought about the reason for it. Looking around at the time, she realized immediately that she didn't recognize any of the buildings and couldn't even say what part of town they were in at the moment. All that she could tell was that it looked like another commercial district in the city. The transport had stopped in front of a building that was conspicuously larger than the others around it. It had a number of windows laid out in a uniform pattern that made her think of hotel, though it seemed much smaller than the others that she had seen so far. When their driver ushered them through the front doors of the building and into a large lobby, she was certain that her assumption had been correct.

The hotel lobby was decorated simply, looking more like the kind of hotel that she normally stayed in herself and only resembled the ornately decorated lobbies of Angela's favorite places to stay in that there was a reception desk of some description and there was a smiling person in a suit waiting to greet them. The woman that Fareeha could only assume was the hotel's manager was certainly pleasant but nowhere near as excitable as the manager of the hotel where Angela was staying. Even the manager of her own hotel was so eager to please whenever she saw Fareeha in person that she made Fareeha uncomfortable any time she had to deal with her, which seemed to be often as she turned up personally to handle any request Fareeha made. She could only assume that it was her status as a celebrity that triggered such a response. Though it was understandable, it was another part of being well-known that was troubling to have to deal with. This manager, however, was polite and professional but didn't seem to be the least bit surprised to be dealing with celebrities. Fareeha had made a mental note to remember the hotel for the next time that she was in Zürich but quickly began smiling when she realized that there wouldn't likely be any need for her to make arrangements separate from Angela's the next time she was there.

Looking around the room they were now in, Fareeha recognized it as a suite. It looked much like her usual hotel rooms, relatively small with only the barest of necessities and simple decorations that looked more like a home away from home than something that was attempting to make it clear that the stay was something far out of the ordinary and a special occasion. The only difference between this room and hers was that it was significantly larger; it had a separate bedroom and a small attached kitchen. Still, it looked much more like a small apartment than a hotel suite. Everything looked quite comfortable and looked as though someone had actually been living there, giving Fareeha that she was visiting a friend's home. There were personal effects scattered around the room, a leather jacket on a coat rack near the door and a pair of jeans thrown across a sofa on a far wall catching her eye. A bag of groceries sat on the kitchen counter next to the sink that had clearly been placed there in a hurry and forgotten, something that Fareeha often did herself on the rare occasions when she found herself at home.

Though the surroundings were comfortable and felt strangely familiar, Fareeha couldn't shake the feeling that they were intruding despite having been directed to this particular room by the manager. She was starting to get the feeling that she had missed something else important while they were being ushered up to the room, though she remembered the moment clearly and couldn't think of anything that had been said that suggested whose room they were in. Angela hadn't asked either, suggesting that she either already knew or it was one of the many commonly understood things that passed between celebrities and the people accustomed to dealing with them. When she considered the matter further, it also occurred to Fareeha that Angela was already so excited about watching the parade that she simply hadn't bothered wondering about it. When she was excited about something, all else was often pushed to the back of her mind. Fareeha again felt her face growing warm when she thought about how much of Angela's daily routine must have been shunted to the side to make room for spending their vacation together. Her thoughts slowly faded into a pleasant haze as she thought of herself as being important enough to go through so much trouble.

"I will not try to wring your thoughts from you this time, love, though I am admittedly curious."

Fareeha's mind snapped back to the present when she heard the words followed by a gentle laugh. She looked over to see curious blue eyes staring back at her. Feeling her face burn with an entirely different emotion behind it, she muttered incomprehensibly as she turned away and held her breath in anticipation. True to her word, Angela let the matter go with nothing more than a smile and went back to waving at the children passing by on the street below. Fareeha wanted to be upset but, as she watched Angela shouting happily at a young girl handing a flower to someone standing on the side of the road, she couldn't muster enough frustration to manage it. She could hardly be upset when she realized that she must have been smiling when she caught Angela's attention. Though she had been upset earlier when she couldn't force a smile on stage despite how much she wanted to help Angela, being appreciated for a genuine smile made her feel far better than being appreciated for a fake one.

Again feeling flustered, Fareeha turned her attention back to wondering whose hotel room they were in. She had the feeling that she should have an appropriate apology at the ready for their intrusion, though she had no way of knowing what would be appropriate without knowing anything about the person. Looking around again for enough context to hazard a guess, all she could determine was that it was likely someone that wouldn't make her uncomfortable. The simplicity of the room suggested that it was chosen by a person not worried about maintaining any specific kind of image and was more interested in being comfortable. She briefly wondered if it had been the result of a lack of rooms in Zürich given the flood of people that were in town for either Sechseläuten the next day or Angela's speech the day before but, looking around the room again and seeing belongings casually strewn about, she was certain that whoever was staying in the room found it to be agreeable. Thinking about it, it seemed that the list of people with any connection to both her and Angela that would be comfortable enough with such simple accommodations had to be a fairly short one. As soon as she started compiling it, one came to mind immediately and made it feel like a waste of time to bother adding anyone else.

 _At least I don't have to make a special trip to get that ass kicking out of the way._

Fareeha found herself wondering if Lena knew that she was thinking of her several minutes later when the door flew open. Lena stumbled through it, looking thoroughly harassed and exhausted as she flopped down onto the sofa and sighed heavily while she kicked off her trainers. Angela's attention was finally pulled away from the parade below as she turned to greet Lena, still looking quite excited.

"I was wondering when you would get here! What kept you?"

 _So she_ did _know._ Fareeha wondered what she had missed at the same time she wondered herself why Lena was so far behind them; they had been in the room and watching the parade for the better part of an hour by the time Lena had arrived.

"Sorry about that. It took forever to get away from the stage and then I had to dodge reporters. I thought that keeping it low key would buy more time but they found us faster than I thought. By the time I'd managed to call your driver to tell him where to go, they were all around me. It was a right mess out there by the time you two had pulled off. They'd have kept me out there all day if they could have."

Fareeha's curiosity was satisfied, which made her wonder why Angela was suddenly giving Lena such a stern expression. Far removed from her usual playful pouting and entirely unbelievable glaring, she actually looked concerned. The sight sent a chill up Fareeha's spine as she was reminded of how Angela spoke of her past the night before.

"Please...do not tell me that you—"

"Yeah, I did and I'm sorry that I'm not sorry. I didn't go through all of the trouble to get this room again just to miss the whole parade anyway."

Fareeha wondered if Lena would miss the parade in spite of the trouble she went through to get back to her room. Once her shoes were off, Lena pulled one of the sofa's throw pillows close as she curled up into a ball and dropped her head onto it. She gave another deep sigh that made Fareeha discard her earlier promise to antagonize her; though she wasn't honestly angry with her, Fareeha had fully intended to give her a bit of a hard time until she saw how fatigued Lena was, something that contradicted everything that she knew about her. Fareeha had thought for a long time that Lena's cheerful and energetic demeanor was something that was reserved for the cameras and her public image but, after having spent so much time around her, she was acutely aware of the fact that this was simply Lena's default state. Though she had only spent time around her in the several months that had passed since her first meetings with Overwatch officials since first being considered as a candidate, she had always known her to not only always be filled with energy but exude it in a way that made it seem infectious to those around her. Seeing her look so depleted was troubling. Despite her ever pleasant demeanor, she looked as though she may fall asleep at any moment. As per usual, only Angela's voice seemed to be able to pull Fareeha away from her concerns.

"Do you have any idea how they reacted?"

"Nope. I didn't bother to ask. They're less than chuffed, I imagine, which was more of a reason to leave it alone. I'm not worried about it. You know how they are and they're nothing if not predictable. They'll just ring Winston until his secretary threatens to quit. Speaking of being less than chuffed, I guess they'll be in good company if they manage to get through to him."

Fareeha looked back and forth between Lena and Angela, certain that she was missing something. Angela sighed, still looking concerned, while Lena simply closed her eyes and looked as though she was already asleep.

"Oxt—Lena...what did you do, exactly?"

Though her eyes were still closed, Lena gave a laugh that set Fareeha on edge. It sounded like her usual cheerful laugh but it was strained, as though she had to work up the energy to manage it. "The reporters were swarming all over the place trying to get a story out of me. Some of them actually started blocking the path to keep me from walking off when I said that I'd get back to them later. Can you believe it? I saw where it was going so I just...well...I went where they couldn't follow."

She chuckled to herself and, after a moment, she dared to open her eyes enough to steal a glance at Angela, who appeared to be deep in thought. Seeing this, Lena stifled her laughter and turned to Fareeha just in time to see comprehension dawn on her.

"You blinked away from them? Was it that bad?"

Lena nodded, looking pleased with herself. "Seriously, I'd never have gotten out of there otherwise. You should've seen the look on their faces! You'd think they had never heard of me before the way they were staring when I disappeared!" Lena began laughing again but cut off when she saw the unusually stern expression that Angela was still giving her.

"They were staring because they did not expect you to leave in such a manner. Even at an informal gathering, there are certain expectations of us."

"I'm sorry, Mercy...no, really, I am. I've just had enough for one weekend. They've gotten everything out of me that there was to get."

Angela took a deep breath before continuing, her expression softening considerably. "No, I am sorry. I should understand better than anyone else right now what it is to be exhausted. I have not answered any calls myself in the better part of a full day."

Lena's exhaustion disappeared in an instant. She sat upright, staring at Angela incredulously. "You _what_? Seriously?"

Angela and Lena seemed to have exchanged roles; Lena looked as though she may panic at any moment while Angela was looking as though she was determined to not care as she turned back to the parade below. "As I said, I should understand your situation better than anyone else. I have better things to do than endlessly answer the same questions."

Lena's expression shifted slightly, though only enough to convey a change of concerns. "Hey...I'm sorry about that little interview. I didn't think that you'd be one to pass up on something like that."

Angela smiled as she stared out of the window, her mind in a place far removed from even the parade. "No, you were correct. I did enjoy it." Her thoughts drifted to the cheering and even tears of joy from the people that listened to her talk about what mattered more to her than anything else in the world. Before the interview began, she would have thought such a thing impossible. "I suppose that it was the interviewer that made the difference."

Lena beamed as she took in the meaning behind Angela's words. "I just figured that you'd like the chance to have fun at one of these things for once."

"Again, you were correct. If I am honest about it, had it been anyone else asking the questions I would no doubt have taken more drastic action than simply blinking away from them. I cannot say that I have been particularly patient with people lately."

Lena fell quiet, giving Fareeha the impression that she wasn't used to being praised. It seemed as odd that she wouldn't be used to such a thing as it did that she would take such a thing to heart. _Then again, I suppose the same could be said about me._ When she thought about it, making sure that Lena understood how much she was appreciated over the last day became a far more pressing matter. She began searching for the words but was interrupted as Lena remembered an earlier concern.

"So, you really haven't been taking any calls? That's...well, I don't really know what that is. People must be thinking the world is coming to an end. I thought I would be the one that would have to struggle to get back into Winston's good books."

Lena looked as though she wanted to say more but was at a loss when Angela responded with nothing more than a carefree smile. Angela, who was the first to warn others of the consequences of doing such things and even reacted to such situations out of habit, seemed to be enjoying abandoning her responsibilities for a change. Lena was about to ask Angela if she was feeling alright before she finally spoke.

"I am already thinking of a way to make this up to Winston. He has no doubt already gotten his fill of calls about me by now. Still, I am on holiday and I am fed up with the incessant interruptions. I...should have thought about that before chastising you."

Lena quickly waved away Angela's concerns. "Don't worry about it, really. You weren't wrong. What's with the change of heart, though? You're usually the last one to let up, especially about things like dealing with the public."

"It is true that appearances are of great importance to us right now. Public acceptance of even the possibility that Overwatch may return to its former state is balanced on the edge of a razor. Even the most slight mishap could mean the end of our efforts." Angela sighed, her remorseful expression slowly becoming peaceful. "I have a job to do but...well...as my automated response has told anyone that has called, I will be more than glad to return to doing my job when I am back in my office. _After_ my holiday has ended."

Lena gave a sly smile as she watched Angela give Fareeha a loving glance. "Did your message tell them that you had better things to do, too?"

"I did not. I will have to trust them to piece that together for themselves."

Lena chuckled, looking more relieved than amused. With the stress of concern lifted, though, fatigue again made itself apparent. She was still smiling but, as she again dropped to one side and curled up on the sofa when her head hit the throw pillow, Fareeha noticed for the first time that there were surprisingly dark circles forming under her eyes.

"Lena, are you alright? I don't think I've ever seen you sit still for this long before."

Lena managed another laugh, though it again sounded as if some effort had gone into it. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just need to recharge my batteries is all. It's been a long day."

Just as Fareeha was thinking that this might be a good time to make another attempt to express her gratitude properly, her thoughts were again interrupted by Angela. "Have you heard from Hana? Was she not going to meet us at some point?"

Lena yawned widely before managing a response. "She was gonna meet us here but she got held up. Something about her handlers wanting her to make an appearance somewhere or something. It was one of her people talking to me, so I didn't bother listening past 'won't be able to attend,' to tell the truth. Listening to them was as bad as dealing with the reporters. It's the same thing at the end of the day, really; sorting reality and fiction, hearing one thing and knowing it means something else and trying to work out what...more trouble than it's worth. Anyway, she said that she'll meet you tomorrow at the...the, er...the thing. Sorry, my German is awful. She'll be there and she heard you probably would be, too, so she'll be looking for you."

Fareeha felt as though a weight had been lifted from her chest, though it continued to loom overhead. Not having to deal with Hana today was a relief, though it felt more like a stay of execution than a pardon. In her haste to dismiss the feeling, a question occurred to her. "How will she know how to find us?"

Lena gave another laugh that faded into another yawn. "I'll point her in your direction. She was gonna just look for where the crowd was the thickest and head to the center of it. She really doesn't know much of anything about you, I guess." Her eyes were slowly closing but they snapped open as she looked up at Fareeha apologetically. "I'm sorry about that, by the way. I tried to put it off until sometime after tomorrow but her people were all over me about it. I dodged it and told them I'd get back to them later but I got a call from Overwatch's PR department not even five minutes later. I'm pretty sure they called in a favor or something to rat me out to Winston personally. PR was already looking for my head on a platter after the whole impromptu announcement thing earlier today so I figured that I probably shouldn't press my luck."

"Don't worry about it, Lena. Something tells me that I'd only be able to avoid it for so long, anyway." Fareeha glanced back at Angela as she heard her own words leave her mouth, hoping that she hadn't upset her after everything that she'd done to clear their schedule. Angela didn't seem to hear them, though; she was staring wistfully out of the window as the last of the parade was passing beneath their window and the crowds on either side of the street were already beginning to disperse. She turned back to Lena, another question now on her mind. "Wait, are you in trouble because of that announcement?"

Lena smiled sheepishly as she considered the question. "I don't think I'll be answering any calls from them until they cool off a bit. The PR department were the only ones that weren't on board with this, after all...well, that's not really fair. They never really got the chance to say one way or the other."

Lena's words caught Angela's attention. Fareeha expected the sudden movement from the opposite side of the room to lead to another tense moment but Angela looked more worried than anything else. "You mean...you did not tell them _anything_ about what you were planning?"

Lena still looked as though she was expecting a reprimand but fatigue seemed to be winning the struggle for her expression. "You know they would've shot it down. I didn't see any point in bringing it up. I was just talking to Hana and this whole thing kind of came together without much warning. Still, she was so happy about it that I couldn't let them just take it from her so we kept it quiet. Her handlers didn't even know why she was here until her plane had landed. She thought it sounded like fun and she really wanted to meet Pharah so she was all for it. I just pulled some strings with the event organizers from yesterday and got the whole thing put together with whatever they could hang onto. It was pretty impressive that they managed to get so much done with only a couple days' notice, really."

"What in the world did you promise them to get them to agree to such a thing?"

Lena groaned loudly. "More appearances at their kids' birthday parties than I really wanna think about."

Angela laughed loudly in spite of herself. "Why would you go through so much trouble, though?"

"You had fun, yeah?"

"Well, yes..."

"That's as good a reason as any." When Angela stared at her, dumbfounded and her eyes already beginning to mist, Lena pressed on and continued speaking, largely to give her time to recover. "Besides, I couldn't ignore Hana. I was talking to her and she said that she wanted to do something different for her announcement. We're still gonna do the official press conference but she said that the usual thing seemed kinda boring. No offense, Pharah, but after sitting through yours I really had to agree. She couldn't think of anything, though, so I just asked her if she had tried to just have fun with it. You know, it was kinda weird...I don't think she ever did. Can't say it doesn't make sense, though. She's surrounded by all kinds of handlers these days. She said that ever since negotiations with Overwatch started, she can't get rid of them. You know how they can be, always telling you what, when, where and how. The worst of it is that they always act like you were nothing before they came along, like the fact that she was already famous wasn't even an issue to be considered. She hates it but that sort of thing rubs off on you after a while if you never get away from it. It's scary how fast you can get used to it if you let yourself. I figured that she needed a break from it all and I'm guessing she agreed considering how fast she got on that plane."

Fareeha had a number of opportunities to come to the realization that Lena had an uncanny capacity for caring about the feeling and needs of others but she could never quite manage to wrap her head around just how far she was willing to go to help someone that needed her. Thinking again of how much she had gone through to help her in the past day, however, took her thoughts in a slightly different direction.

"Where exactly did we come into that plan?"

Lena's yawn was interrupted by a chuckle. "I suppose that 'plan' fits as long as you don't have too strong an opinion of the word. You actually didn't, though...at least, not at first. When you two finally got together, I saw an opportunity to give Mercy her moment up there and make it work so I took it. I guess PR can't really complain too much. I gave them plenty to work with, after all. Nobody would be surprised to see the last candidate showing up to an announcement about the next and it made it look like we're all friends that were in on it together."

"We _are_ all friends."

Lena and Angela both looked at Fareeha while trying to hide notes of surprise. Even Fareeha couldn't help being startled by what she'd said so suddenly but she didn't feel anything remotely close to regret. She couldn't bring herself to meet Lena's gaze but, despite looking away, her jaw was set and her expression was fixed in a determined stare as though daring anyone to dispute her claim.

"Well...I...wow." Lena struggled for words but fell short several times before settling into a stunned silence.

"Don't look so surprised. After everything you've done for me in the last day alone, even I feel some measure of sympathy for anyone that suggests otherwise. I hope for their sake that these PR people take your cue and make that fact clear."

Lena looked back and forth between Fareeha and Angela with a slightly worried expression for a moment as though looking for clarity. Angela, knowing that Fareeha wouldn't likely elaborate without some prodding, stepped in on her behalf. As much as she wanted to ease Lena's mind, she couldn't think of a way to do so while being entirely honest.

"I do not believe she is joking. It is rare for her to call someone a friend, after all. Personally, I would also advise that they take the matter very seriously."

Lena again looked back and forth between the two of them as though waiting for an indication that there was, in fact, a joke that she was missing. After several seconds of silence with nothing but Fareeha's stern gaze and Angela's gently smiling at her for context, she quickly turned her full attention to Fareeha.

"Hey...come on, you can't put any stock into something like that! There's never any telling what they might come up with. There's no rhyme or reason to it half of the time; it all just comes down to whatever they think people will respond to the best. I can't see anything that might come of trying to manufacture any drama between us, anyway. Really, there's no reason to worry about it. Besides, you don't want any trouble out of them before you can even get all the way in the door." Lena looked at Fareeha hopefully but was quickly disappointed when it became clear that she was unmoved.

"I can't honestly say that I give a damn. I didn't sign up to be a character in a movie."

Fareeha was about to add more to her point and say that she wasn't a puppet for anyone's amusement either but, after having seen how much effort both Lena and Angela put into maintaining proper appearances, she was certain that it would be easy to misinterpret as contempt for the practice as a whole rather than simply for anyone that would misconstrue relationships for personal gain. Having been surrounded by it so much recently coming from people that only wanted to give the return of Overwatch every possible opportunity to succeed, she didn't dare attempt to put everyone into a single group. As she paused, she considered that she had been doing exactly that. She had never looked at things like public appearances from that angle before but, after hearing Angela's words earlier, she couldn't deny their importance. Though she knew that Angela genuinely enjoyed being in the public eye despite how much it often frustrated her, she also knew that her interest in properly maintaining her public appearance lately had far more to do with Overwatch than any personal desire. Overwatch had initially been disbanded by public demand and it was only with the public's support that it had any chance of being revived. It shed a new light on the fact that she would do anything that could even potentially jeoporadize those efforts for the sake of being with her. Fareeha still hated dealing with these matters with a passion but at this point she was certainly willing to concede that they had their place. She took her time and chose her next words carefully.

"I...don't really have anything against them. I know that they're only doing their jobs and, more important, they're trying to help. Be that as it may, however, I won't simply stand by and let them suggest that we're anything other than friends. I know that what they do is important but...there are some prices that should never be paid."

Lena could only stare at Fareeha in surprise as she sat up to look at her properly. To break the silence as much as underline Fareeha's statement, Angela took the opportunity to speak up. "She is right, of course. I would not stand for it, either." She then looked to Fareeha when she realized that there was one more concern that should be addressed. "I do believe that she is right, however. While I cannot say that I generally have much faith in most news outlets, I have never known our public relations department to do anything so underhanded and I do not expect them to start now."

A silence hung in the room along with a shared sense of satisfaction with the conclusions that had been reached. They let the seconds pass quietly as the sounds of the parade outside gradually died down to a dull roar now that the end of it had passed them by. It was only interrupted by a yawn that Lena hadn't managed to completely stifle, causing Angela to look out of the window again. After giving the ground a quick and disappointed glance, she turned her eyes to the sun that was edging closer to the horizon. A smile crossed her face that caught Fareeha's attention; in an instant, she was looking nearly as excitable as she had been during the parade. Getting the feeling that she was forgetting something important, she was about to ask what had triggered the sudden change in mood. Before she could get the words out, however, Angela spoke up.

"I suppose that it is getting rather late." When Lena looked as though she was about to offer an apology, Angela laughed and quickly continued. "It is late for us, as well. Last night was a long night and, were it not for the Kinderumzug, we would have already been in bed by now."

Angela's mention of going to bed hit Fareeha with what felt almost like physical force when she realized what had triggered the change. Lena, who had noticed the sudden change in both Angela and Fareeha's expressions, raised an eyebrow. When she noted the smile on Angela's face and the deep burgundy tint on Fareeha's that contrasted heavily with her stern gaze at nothing in particular, she forced another yawn to hide the smile that she could already feel forming.

"I guess I could do with a nap. It was a pretty rough day and tomorrow's gonna be a long one."

Grateful for the opportunity that Lena had created for her to excuse herself, Angela rushed through a goodbye that rather poorly masked her excitement to leave. This wasn't lost on Fareeha, whose heart was already beginning to race despite her best efforts to turn her thoughts in any other direction. She felt as though a thousand thoughts were racing through her head as she muttered the best goodbye to Lena that she could manage before she staggered out of the hotel room and into the hallway. Despite the confusion of so many conflicting thoughts, one kept pushing its way to the front of them all as she imagined exactly what Angela had in mind for their immediate future.

 _I suppose I shouldn't be too worried. She did say that it would be a fair trade, after all._


	25. Cloudless Moonlight

_I had plenty that I wanted to say before this chapter (I usually write the author's note after the chapter is finished) but I'm too excited to edit and get it uploaded to spend too much time on it this time. Speaking of which, I'm sorry that it took so long. I may need to push this week's regular update back to Saturday but it's still coming. Thank you to everyone for being understanding about the delay. It's no surprise to me at this point but you're all amazing._

 _This may be the single most intense experience I've had since I started writing this story. I originally intended for it to be relatively short but, as per usual, the words just kept coming and I couldn't bring myself to omit anything. Toward the end, my hands were sweating and I had to sit up straight in my chair for most of the writing of this chapter. I often lean back and balance on the two back legs when I'm writing (don't ask me why) but I had to give it up after the fifth or sixth time that I nearly fell backwards. I hope you all like it as much as I did!_

 _One last special note: I first heard the second song for this chapter's tracklist when I ran across a Pharmercy AMV on YouTube by Lindsay Lazuli. I strongly urge everyone to take a moment to watch it as it was absolutely amazing and gave me no end of inspiration. I swore to myself months ago that I would use the song and never forgot it. Please forgive me if I fail to resist the temptation to use it again._

 _1\. "It's In Our Hands" by Björk_

 _2\. "Enemy Fire" by Bea Miller_

 _3\. "Leaving (Koda Re-Imagining)" by OBESØN_

"Is anything wrong with your Züri Gschnätzlets?"

Fareeha stared blankly at her plate as Angela's words fell on deaf ears, her fork held loosely in one hand and looking as though she had forgotten that she was holding it. Her mind racing out of her control, she tried desperately to focus on any one thing around her. She hoped that finding one steady thing and anchoring her mind to it would give her a moment to come to terms with the world that felt as though it was swirling violently around her but nothing sufficed. The conversations around her in the small restaurant were either racing by her too rapidly to be understood or were being spoken in hushed tones too quietly to be heard. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that it was for the best that she couldn't catch anything that was being said; it wasn't hard to guess at what they were talking about and the more she thought about it, the less she wanted to hear it. _If I wanted to hear those conversations, I'd listen to Lena and check my fansites._

It seemed like a foolish hope to try to find a quiet place to enjoy anything publicly. It was a small restaurant hidden in a corner of town that Fareeha would likely have never noticed had it not been pointed out to her. It reminded her much of Anjou the night before, largely filled with tables for two and small booths that created a perfect setting for intimacy. It was old but clearly well cared for; the furniture all appeared to be antiques but the tabletops and floors were so well polished that Fareeha noticed that she could clearly see her reflection in everything as they were being seated. Had it not been for how tense she was at the moment, she was certain that she would have appreciated how peaceful and pleasant it was. As had been the case since she had arrived in Zürich, however, their location was seemingly impossible to keep secret for long. It felt uncomfortably like trying to keep troop movements in combat secret, though there was seemingly no way to accomplish the task when dealing with the public. Fareeha forced herself to not groan when she considered that she didn't even have the option of a preemptive strike at her disposal. For a moment, she was tempted to look up to see if the situation had improved but quickly thought better of it. She could almost feel their stares burning into her.

 _Ugh...still?_

Fareeha was almost thankful for something to think about other than feeling disoriented when she saw a flash of light in the corner of her eye. It had been happening occasionally, usually coming from one of the tinted windows on the opposite side of the restaurant. She had hoped that when they had been seated in a far corner of the restaurant that at least the people outside would give up on trying to take pictures but, when the restaurant filled and the staff finally had a reason to stop people from coming in, others began crowding around the windows and trying to peer inside. Fareeha had long since given up on looking at her for understanding as she was clearly enjoying the attention. Remembering how much she had enjoyed speaking of their relationship publicly, Fareeha didn't want to ruin her good time by saying anything against it but she couldn't deny that it was tiring to ignore it, especially now that there was so much else on her mind. Besides that, after seeing how small and removed from the majority of the city the restaurant was it was obvious that Angela had been doing all that she could to keep their exposure to a minimum. Thinking of it all reminded her of her earlier thoughts and she immediately felt her concentration slipping again. She gave a sigh of frustration when she finally gave up on keeping her thoughts focused.

"Fareeha? What is wrong, love?"

The world came to a startlingly sudden halt when Angela's words reached her ears. In an instant, she began smiling despite her frustration with herself when she noticed how quickly she had been pulled from the mire that her thoughts had become. _That's right. We're supposed to be helping each other...and I should be asking her for help at times like this. I'm going to have to work on remembering that._ Though Angela was the center of her confusion and frustration, she was also the only one that she could talk to about it. When she looked up, Angela was staring at her with an expression that was quickly becoming more tense with concern. She pulled her phone out of her purse and pushed it toward Fareeha, who immediately knew what she was thinking. After smiling and thinking for a moment, she looked up a song and began playing it. (1) Despite her inability to stop her worrying, her heart skipped a beat when she saw the familiar expression on Angela's face that always indicated that she was impressed.

"I really do need to learn how to do that one of these days. The song makes sense...at least, I think I understand. I do not believe that this would be a good time to be uncertain about your thoughts, though."

"Oh...it's nothing." Fareeha laughed at herself when Angela raised an eyebrow and simply stared back at her impatiently. _Right...helping each other._ "I was just trying to get my mind to stop racing. It's difficult when I'm stressed and don't have anywhere to direct my frustration."

"Stressed? Why?"

Fareeha looked away, her face already heating up but still smiling. When she considered the source of her concern but felt the stress lifting, she quickly came to the realization that it wasn't entirely unpleasant. She was certain that it couldn't be all bad; she noted another flash of light coming from outside of the restaurant's windows but wasn't the least bit concerned about it when considering the rest of the night.

"Things are going well but...well, to be honest, it has been a long time since I've gone down this road. It's also worth noting that it's a trip that I've only taken once and it wasn't exactly what I would call memorable, all things considered."

Fareeha was certain that Angela knew what she meant. She didn't say anything but the faint pink tint on her face voiced her thoughts for her. Angela thought carefully for a moment before finally responding.

"Are things moving too quickly for you?"

"No, I don't think that's it. I'm pretty sure that I would be a nervous wreck at every step no matter how long things took."

Angela was thankful that Fareeha was still looking away when she responded and couldn't take note of her relief. "Then what are you thinking, exactly?"

"The same things that I imagine that most people would be thinking in this situation, I suppose...people with no more experience than myself, at any rate. I can barely tell up from down right now, much less whether or not I'm doing the right thing at any given time. I know virtually nothing of expectations in this situation. I'm not good at being in unfamiliar situations when I have no idea what I should be doing."

After a moment of silence, curiosity led Fareeha to turn her gaze back to Angela, who was looking at her lovingly. "I understand your concern, love. There is no need for it, however. You are doing all of the right things simply by being with me."

Fareeha was relieved to hear it but couldn't feel entirely assured. "I'm guessing that this is something that isn't any more clearly documented than anything that we've discussed so far but...well, _is_ there a right way to proceed from this point?"

Angela thought about it for a moment but eventually shrugged. "I have no idea."

Fareeha stared incredulously. " _None?_ "

"I am afraid not. What is correct in these situations varies as much as the people in them. I suppose that it is the same as with most things in relationships in that it is rare for the past to be much help in the present."

Again, Fareeha was relieved but at the same time slightly disappointed. "That's good, I suppose. We're still on even ground, at least. Truthfully, though, even though I'm not good at relying on others I was hoping that I could take a cue from your experience."

"How much experience do you think that I have, exactly?" Angela had been giving her best huffy expression, her cheeks puffing slightly as she pouted. She couldn't maintain it for more than several seconds before bursting into uncontrollable laughter when seeing Fareeha's flustered panic. "I am sorry, love...I am only teasing you. I do not deny that I have more experience than I would usually care to admit to having. It is of no more use to me now than it was last night, however. You are quite different from anyone I have ever met."

Fareeha, who had been silently cursing herself for having fallen for such an obvious setup for a joke, began to consider a new worry. "It is for the best that we are even, really, though I can't help worrying that 'new' and 'better' may be two entirely different things."

Angela reached out and took Fareeha's hand, causing her to drop her fork in anticipation more than surprise. "In this case, I am certain that they are not. One thing that I can take away from my past is that the fact that you are something entirely different is promising. I have had plenty of time to consider the fact that the similarities in the past were indicative of a disturbing pattern. As has been the case so far, being with you makes me certain that I am no longer wasting my time."

Angela took a moment to appreciate that nobody else seemed to be able to leave Fareeha in a stunned silence the way that she could. She gently caressed the back of Fareeha's hand with her fingertips, causing the smile on her face to widen as she again turned her gaze away, this time looking down at the untouched plate in front of her. Sensing that Fareeha wasn't likely to respond anytime soon and knowing that her happiness would undoubtedly give way to more worrying in the midst of a silence that went on for too long, Angela reached for her phone with her free hand and started tapping on the screen.

"What are you doing? You look nervous."

Angela gave a soft laugh as she tapped away. "I suppose that I am. It is no secret that I am not as good at this as you are, so I do not mind admitting that I have gotten some help. Tracer sent this to me earlier this morning and seemed certain that you would appreciate it. She said she had seen where someone else had posted it on one of my fansites since last night and thought that it was appropriate. I am inclined to agree after having heard it but...well...as I said, I am not good at this."

Fareeha waited anxiously for the music that she was certain that she was about to hear. She smiled as her suspicions were confirmed but, as she struggled and failed to remember having heard the energetic guitar chords before, her brow furrowed in concentration. (2) It was rare that she ran across a song from before she was born that she didn't recognize and trying to place it quickly became a challenge. Once the chorus began to play, however, all thoughts were abandoned in favor of taking in the lyrics. When the song ended, she dared a glance at Angela, who was still absentmindedly stroking the back of her hand but looking away and utterly failing to keep her smile unter control. Unsure of what to say in response, Fareeha pulled Angela's hand closer and kissed her fingertips. Angela gasped and let out a soft laugh in spite of herself.

"I take it that this was a good suggestion?"

"You're better at this than you think."

"I cannot take credit for it. I can only say that it was appropriate. I may have more experience with these things but I rely on you, as well. Not just at times like this, though...one of those things that makes you different is that I can always depend on you."

Fareeha couldn't say that she was surprised after everything that had passed between them but she still found hearing the words to be disarming. After taking a few seconds to recover, she quickly decided that the best thing that she could do was to continue doing whatever she could to continue doing what Angela appreciated about her. In this case, it was clear to her that this meant being decisive. _I don't have any idea what I'm doing but making decisions is one thing that I know I can do._ Refusing to release Angela's hand, she reached out with her left and picked up her fork and began eating unusually quickly. Seeing the sudden movement in the corner of her eye, Angela turned and gave Fareeha a confused look.

"You have chosen an interesting time to get hungry, though I suppose I should be relieved. I thought that you did not like it."

"I just decided that I have somewhere that I'd rather be."

Angela's smile returned instantly, this time accompanied by a bright red across her face. "That...is good. I do not know much about suggesting music but I was certain that I was an expert when it came to your culinary tastes."

Fareeha paused when she considered the flavor, something that she had completely failed to notice in her sudden determination to be finished so that they could leave. "No, you certainly know me well. What is it, exactly? I can't believe that I didn't think to ask before."

"Veal." Despite Angela's hopes, Fareeha looked up at her after hearing her unusually succinct response and waited patiently for more. Angela gave a nervous laugh before finally adding, "you may want to wait until you are done eating to hear any more than that."

Fareeha raised an eyebrow. Whatever it was, it was too delicious to imagine that there could be anything unpleasant about it. "Are you sure? It's pretty good."

"Let us simply say that it is a relatively recent recipe. It is nothing horrifying, though I am certain that you would rather decide how you feel about it first."

Fareeha wrestled with her curiosity for a moment but decided that Angela knew her well enough to trust her judgement. _I have enough to think about right now, anyway._ They ate in silence, though noticeably more quickly than they normally would. It wasn't until their waiter asked them about dessert and Angela declined a bit too quickly to go unnoticed that she decided that it would be best to address the matter at hand rather than ignore it.

"I believe that I have said it before but...I do not mind taking things slowly."

Fareeha shook her head with a determined expression when she realized what Angela was saying. "It's best to not rush these things but I don't see anything good coming of ignoring an issue entirely. Since we're both at a loss here, I suggest moving forward. We can move as quickly or slowly as is comfortable. Still, I think that the important thing is that we should keep moving. I've...well, I've waited long enough for someone like you. I think we've done enough waiting."

Angela smiled as she considered how far she should press her luck. "Does that mean...?"

Fareeha didn't waste any time making good on her promise to both Angela and herself to remain in motion. "I can't say that I'm looking forward to it exactly but I'm not entirely opposed to wearing that...that thing." Seeing Angela's uncertain expression, she added, "besides, I'm curious as to exactly how you intend to make us even."

Though it seemed unkind, Fareeha couldn't completely restrain her laughter when she saw her own flustered state showing in Angela's expression. Just as she was about to apologize for making her uncomfortable, Angela spoke with a note of determination that also reminded Fareeha of her own feelings.

"I must admit that I am a little embarrassed. I have been trying to create an opportunity for a moment like this for a long time and, well...a number of ways to do so have occurred to me. This was one of my less sensible ideas." Seeing the curiosity in Fareeha quickly building, she quickly continued. "I will show you as promised. I am just a little nervous about it now that the time has actually come. I just need a few minutes to clear my head."

Fareeha's expression rapidly shifted from curious to concerned. "Are you sure about this? We're supposed to be comfortable, after all."

"Yes, I am absolutely certain. I doubt that I am any more uncomfortable than you are. I am just nervous about taking another step."

Fareeha didn't look entirely convinced, though she didn't press the issue. She took Angela's phone again and, after several seconds of searching she released the phone. Angela looked down at it just as she heard another unfamiliar melody. (3) It was initially haunting but, as the song continued, she couldn't help feeling at peace. Most of the words were lost on her but three in particular made it clear what Fareeha's intent had been. She looked up at Fareeha, who was watching her intently. She smiled peacefully, making it clear to Fareeha that the message had been communicated effectively. Finally feeling assured, Fareeha took a moment to make certain that she had been understood.

"I won't keep worrying about it. Just let me know if you change your mind."

Angela couldn't help laughing at the thought. "After all of this time? You are not the only one tired of waiting." Angela thought for a moment before adding, "as long as we are taking things slowly, however...I would not say no to a little liquid courage when we get back."

The next half of an hour passed in near silence as Fareeha and Angela held each other close and did their best to ignore the anticipation that was hanging in the air. They only occasionally teased each other, each making vague mention of what the other was about to see and enjoying seeing the blushing and nervous laughter that came in response. Angela enjoyed teasing Fareeha with her advantage of having the contents of the box that she had hidden away be a complete mystery, though it never took long for guilt to set in and give reassurance that it wouldn't remain a mystery for very long. She was thankful for every opportunity to reassure Fareeha as it strengthened her resolve. As Angela's hotel came into view outside of their transport's windows, however, they again fell silent. It wasn't until they were once again sitting on the sofa in Angela's suite and each of them were considering a second glass of Crémant d'Alsace that Fareeha finally managed to speak, her expression again set with determination.

"Excuse me for a few minutes. I'm...going to go and change."

Angela could only nod silently as Fareeha stood and made her way to the bedroom. She swallowed hard when she heard Fareeha close the door behind her and quickly reached out to refill her glass largely just for something to do. Despite having seen the lacy black lingerie earlier in the day, it became apparent when she tried to recall the sight that she hadn't gotten nearly as good a look at it as she would have liked. With everything that had happened throughout the day, she had been too preoccupied to think about it while dealing with people, watching the Kinderumzug and being close to Fareeha which, as usual, made her forget that the rest of the world existed. She didn't realize how excited she was until she lifted her glass to her lips and was surprised to find it empty. When she placed it back on the table in front of her, she laughed out loud at herself when she saw her hand tremble. She leaned back into the sofa and was fidgeting anxiously until she jumped out of her seat and turned so quickly that, between the sudden movement and the wine, she made herself slightly dizzy. She closed her eyes for a second to allow the world to catch up to them and, when she opened them again, she wondered whether or not she was seeing clearly yet.

 _I must be hallucinating. Reality is not this kind._

Fareeha slowly stepped through the bedroom doorway, looking and feeling entirely unlike herself. Ignoring her uncertainty, she stood up straight and stepped forward as casually as she could manage. Angela blinked several times and tried to force her eyes to focus but, as with the night before when she first saw Fareeha's dress, she couldn't entirely convince herself that she wasn't dreaming. She did her best to look Fareeha in the eye and, as much as she loved the comfort she felt when she saw the familiar stern and steady expression, her eyes kept drifting down to Fareeha's body. Her eyes slowly passed over the two thin black straps on her shoulders, then followed them to a black lace bust that drove her mad. The pattern was complex enough to keep anything beneath it hidden from view but showed enough for her to be able to see the soft mocha skin beneath it.

 _Who designed this? Someone must have made this thing to test my sanity._

Angela abandoned her attempts to be tactful and didn't bother to stop her eyes from trailing any lower. The sheer fabric trailing from the bust draped around her body but, lacking the intricate lace pattern of the bust, it hid nothing of the toned body beneath it. Angela had thought that she had seen all of Fareeha's body the night before when she stood not far from that spot in a dress that held as closely as possible to her. Now, however, Angela couldn't even call to mind what it looked like but was certain that it hadn't done Fareeha justice. As her eyes continued moving down Fareeha's body, she took in the clearly defined muscles of her abdomen that still somehow managed to gently curve. Her head swimming, Angela's eyes continued downward and she took in the equally subtle curve of her hips. She noted another thin black strap wrapping around her hips that she slowly realized was a pair of black panties covered in the same lace pattern as the babydoll's bust. Beneath the translucent fabric of the babydoll, they looked rather modest despite how little they covered but, when she considered the possibility of seeing them without the sheer skirt in front of them, she was certain that she would be doing her very best to not faint. Somehow more frustrating than anything else was a small black bow in the center of the bust that made Fareeha look like a present waiting to be unwrapped.

"Well...what do you think?"

Angela was vaguely aware that Fareeha was saying something but she couldn't figure out for the life of her what it might have been. Something in the back of her mind led her to nod, which she did automatically for the sake of not having to think about it any further and give her full attention to the babydoll again.

"So you like it?"

Again, Angela nodded absentmindedly as another faint thought caused her legs to carry her forward. She didn't stop until her arms were wrapped around Fareeha and she was pulling her lips closer until they met. What may have been seconds or hours passed before their lips parted and, as Fareeha was remembering to breathe, she gasped when she felt lips as soft as satin on her neck. When she felt the pressure of a playfully gentle bite, she inhaled sharply and inadvertently startled Angela back to her senses. She slowly pulled away with an apprehensive expression.

"Was that...too much?"

Fareeha, who was still struggling to remember how to breathe steadily, looked away before she responded. "To tell the truth, it wasn't enough."

Angela smiled weakly. Her senses had returned to her but the intensity of the moment had left her feeling drained. She took Fareeha's hand and led her back to the sofa where she collapsed in a heap as though her legs wouldn't support her any longer. Fareeha, who was certainly satisfied by the reaction, couldn't help being curious as she carefully sat down.

"Are you alright?"

Angela looked up at her, still smiling and looking as though her mind was miles away. "I cannot imagine that I could be better. Have you _seen_ yourself?"

Fareeha laughed nervously. Her head was spinning; her thoughts had consumed her up to the moment that she saw the effect that she'd had. Having her worries shattered by reality filled her head with more thoughts than she could keep up with, though it was nothing like sitting in the restaurant earlier and trying to slow everything down. Now, she was trying to come to terms with how ridiculous her worries seemed now, wondering just what Angela was thinking, mentally taking notes in hopes of replicating the effect later, wondering how she could ever thank Lena and Anaïs, still refusing to let all of this keep her from threatening to kick Lena's ass later and wondering how she had managed to not get used to the confusion by now. The torrent of conflicting thoughts somehow made her happy to be dealing with the mess; instead of frustration, she felt warmth flooding her body and keeping her thoughts just barely out of focus. She couldn't help smiling when she found herself thinking for what seemed like the thousandth time in the last day how nothing could be unpleasant when Angela was at the center of it.

"I know that I ask you this fairly often but I cannot help but wonder what you are thinking right now."

Fareeha thought for a moment about everything running through her head before settling on the thought that was at the front of her mind at the moment. "For once, I'm thinking about asking you the same thing." When she didn't hear a response, she gave Angela an inquisitive glance and noticed that she seemed to be thinking carefully.

"I am guessing that honesty is the best policy."

"If only to keep me from going insane with worry."

Angela looked at Fareeha with a guilty smile. When she didn't respond immediately, Fareeha followed her gaze and wondered why she was staring at her shoulder. Realization set in quickly when she thought about how little was covering them, something that her scars usually kept her from doing.

"I suppose it really is a bit unusual. I'm having trouble getting used to my clothes being supported by something so thin. I keep expecting these straps to break."

Angela laughed as she suddenly turned her gaze away from Fareeha. "To be honest, I was hoping that at least one of them would."

Fareeha's mind cleared immediately. For the first time in what must have been hours, she was having no trouble finding a single thought to focus on. She felt somewhat embarrassed but couldn't manage to be the least bit upset when she started thinking about the fact that Angela's thoughts paralleled her own on more occasions than she would ever admit, even to herself. Though she was smiling uncontrollably, Angela couldn't help wondering if she had said too much.

"I suppose that it is my turn to ask if you are alright."

Fareeha smiled at her, her mind pleasantly addled and incapable of focusing. "I couldn't be better."

Angela flashed a nervous smile as she struggled to her feet. "Speaking of my turn, I suppose that it is time to see whether or not you could, in fact, be better."

It took a moment for Fareeha's mind to snap to attention and finally give due attention to what she'd heard. By the time she realized what Angela meant and looked up, Angela was crossing the room, headed for the bedroom while keeping herself steady. Fareeha watched as the door closed and stared blankly for a moment before turning to the table and reaching out for the bottle of Crémant d'Alsace when she remembered what Angela had said earlier about liquid courage. _Shouldn't this situation be the other way around? Then again, I doubt anyone else has been in this situation with anyone close to Angela._

The better part of an hour passed before Fareeha heard the doorknob on the bedroom door turning. Just as she was wondering if Angela was deliberately building tension and questioning whether or not she should have done the same, the sound made her jump to her feet. The door opened just enough to see through to the other side, though she couldn't see any part of Angela. Before she could ask what was wrong, she understood why the door hadn't opened completely when she heard Angela's voice come from the other side of the door.

"Fareeha?"

"Yes?" For what may have been the first time in her life, Fareeha heard her own voice crack.

"Promise me that you will not laugh."

"I'm sure that I won't laugh. I don't think that I can promise that I won't die, though."

After a nervous laugh, the door opened fully and revealed Angela standing in the doorway. For a moment, Fareeha wondered what had made an unusual soft thud somewhere beneath her before realizing that she had dropped the glass of wine that she had forgotten that she was still holding. She was aware that there was a glass bouncing and rolling across the sofa and spilling its contents over the fabric but, despite a second of earnest effort, she couldn't bring herself to care. In that moment, the world outside of the sight several meters in front of her had ceased to exist. For the second time that day, she had to consciously remember how to breathe. She realized that her mouth was open shamelessly but couldn't recall how to correct the problem. She could only take in what she was seeing as her mind went into overdrive burning the image into her memory so that she would never forget it.

 _I'm glad that I didn't promise that I won't die. I think I understand now why she was having trouble standing up._

Angela stood nervously in the doorway dressed in what only barely resembled a nurse's uniform, a traditional white cap being the primary clue. She smiled shyly as the red in her cheeks deepened and slowly began to match the shimmering crimson on her lips. Fareeha couldn't recall ever seeing her wear the shade before; she was certain that, even in her current state, she would be able to recall ever having seen something that had ever made her heart race that way. Angela's appearance often chipped away at her restraint but now it was crumbling as if being struck with a hammer. As she waited, she had been mentally preparing herself to keep her gaze respectful but her preparation had been lost on her entirely. Unable to resist, she took in the rest of the uniform that had been clearly cut to draw her eyes to every part of Angela's body that she normally spent so much time trying to pretend that she didn't notice. The once simple white dress quickly pulled her eyes to Angela's décolletage, the sweeping neckline revealing a black bra with a lace pattern clearly designed to show far more than the bust of her own babydoll and depending entirely upon the dress itself for any measure of modesty. Though the uniform covered far more of Angela's body than the sheer fabric of her babydoll, the close fit made it look less like a dress and more like a second skin. Seeing black garters coming from beneath the bottom of the dress and leading to matching stockings that covered Angela's thighs caused her imagination to run wild as she wondered exactly what the dress was hiding. It took every bit of what little restraint she had left to cross the room in hopes of finding out. Desperate to turn her attention anywhere else before she could embarrass herself, she found herself wondering why Angela seemed taller than usual and almost immediately regretted having asked. She looked to the floor and saw a black pair of patent leather stilettos that managed to make Angela's legs even more seductive than the night before, something that she never imagined would be possible.

"Um...well...what do you think—"

Angela's words were cut off when Fareeha closed the distance between them; she wondered for a moment if she had missed the motion entirely in the time that it took her to blink. Fareeha had moved so quickly with her mind set on a single purpose that she didn't even hear Angela's question. The only thought in her mind outside of the sudden need to feel Angela pressed against her was something akin to guilt when she thought of wasting the time Angela had spent applying the shimmering crimson to her lips only to have it ruined minutes later. Another endless moment passed between them as Fareeha kissed with a desire that was reminiscent of hunger. No sensation went without notice in Fareeha's mind; the unfamiliar scent of the crimson lipstick, the sudden weakness that returned and seemed to make Angela go limp and the soft moan that reached her ears when her arms held Angela tightly and kept her on her feet all registered, though it was all pushed to the side by a single thought. _More...I need more._ When they parted this time, it was Angela who was gasping for breath, first from exhaustion and then again from the sensation of Fareeha's lips on her throat. The sound triggered the memory of her own gasp of surprise less than an hour earlier but, though the minor distraction caused her to think clearly for a moment about exactly what she was doing, the sudden feeling of self-consciousness that she was expecting never came. "More" was the only thought in her mind that was coming through clearly.

"I take it that my plan worked?"

Fareeha laughed gently before delivering another soft kiss to Angela's neck. "It was an overwhelming success, yes."

Angela thought briefly of the daydreams she had been having since long before she'd altered the nurse's uniform that had first led her to do so. There was only one thing that they all had in common that the present was lacking. "Well, it is _nearly_ a success."

Before Fareeha could ask what she meant, Angela took her hand and gently pulled her toward the bedroom door. Fareeha briefly thought of her worries from only an hour earlier. Seeing the look in the bright blue eyes in front of her, however, the desire that she'd felt when she crossed the room blazed inside of her like a furnace. As she followed behind Angela, those concerns may as well have been from another lifetime entirely.


	26. Blue Fades Into Gold

_It took longer than I expected but it's finally done! Even with the unexpectedly long time that it took to get it done, this chapter was a bit shorter than I originally expected it to be. I was happy with how it turned out, though, so I didn't bother trying to force anything more into it. I'd love to say more but it's already past time to get on with the next chapter. There's no music to note this time but, as you'll soon see, nobody is having any trouble expressing themselves this morning._

The morning sun and the songs of birds flooded through the bedroom window of the hotel suite and seemed to be attempting to signal Fareeha, telling her that it was long since time to get up and begin her day. The effort was most decidedly wasted. Despite nearly an entire lifetime of habit, consciousness seemed to be staying just out of her reach and, much to her surprise, she was in no hurry to chase after it. It was quite unlike her to take the time to appreciate a moment of peace but she was compelled to take her time enjoying this one. She lay in bed quietly with her eyes closed as memories of the past day faded in and out of her thoughts. The violent shifting of her emotions since she had arrived in Zürich was stressful, to say the least; it was entirely unfamiliar to her and made her think of facing an enemy that she didn't understand and couldn't properly defend herself against. The closer her thoughts came to the present, however, the less upsetting the struggle felt to her. Much like anything else she ever pushed herself to do to improve herself or overcome adversity, the struggle gradually shifted from feeling demanding to feeling rewarding the closer she came to her goal. This effort had been far more rewarding than any other that she could call to mind. When she felt the slow breathing of a familiar soft weight pressing down on her from one side and resting on her chest, all else in the world rapidly lost significance. Everything that she had achieved in her life paled in comparison to this moment.

Fareeha allowed her mind to continue running at random as it wished. It was normally something that she tried to prevent; it was often distressing as her mind often took her back to things that she would rather forget or moved so quickly that trying to keep up with it long enough to make sense of it was exhausting to just short of the point of being painful. Now, however, thoughts of Angela and the time that they had spent together over the last day were shunting all else to the side. Realizing how long it had been since she'd truly felt at peace and having no desire to end the moment any sooner than she had to, she allowed her memories to continue to come and go as they pleased. In one moment, she was standing in a black crepe de chine dress and slowly coming to the realization that the look in Angela's eyes may very well have been desire. In the next moment, she was sitting in Anjou and having her senses overwhelmed by the scent and taste of lipstick that wasn't her own. A moment later, she was struggling to recall what had happened the night before and pleasantly surprised to find that she was in a setting much like the present. The emotions that came with each memory were nearly overwhelming but, when she found herself appreciating them rather than trying to make sense of them, she found that she was able to simply be carried off by them from one to the next, feeling as though she was floating and being carried by a current. Her usual concerns of where she was and where she might be going were conspicuously absent but it made the experience surprisingly pleasant. It filled her with warmth that was all but entirely unfamiliar to her.

When her thoughts drifted to more recent events, however, most of the warmth that Fareeha was feeling seemed to be gathering in her face. Her thoughts came back to the night before and the current suddenly stopped carrying her. The stream had carried her to a pond and left her feeling as though she had arrived at a predetermined destination without realizing it. Modesty and a note of embarrassment led her to briefly wonder if it had simply been a logical progression of memories from the past to the present, even in her dreamlike state. All things considered, however, she couldn't deny that it was natural that nothing could keep her thoughts off of everything that had passed between her and Angela between sunset and sunrise. For the first time that morning, she felt some measure of unease as her concerns about her lack of experience came back to mind. Constantly fretting about something after the time to act had come wasn't in her nature, however. She had put the concern aside and moved forward as she always did. Thinking about this, it stood to reason that her effort had been rewarded with success, which was also par for the course for her in such situations. She was reasonably certain that she had been successful, at least; to the best of her knowledge, there was no reliable barometer for such situations. As Angela had said the day before, these things vary from one person to the next. Though she didn't have much in the way of experience, she could always rely on her intellect to carry her through when experience failed her and her observational skills didn't detect anything that suggested displeasure on Angela's part. She began to relax and smile again when she considered that she must have been successful as this wasn't her first time waking up that morning. They had gotten up several times as the sky outside of their window faded from a dark blue ink to a rose-tinted glow. Each time, it led to shy conversation about the last time that they were awake. Every conversation about their previous encounter led to another until exhaustion sent them to sleep again. Though she would never abandon her modesty entirely, she couldn't help taking her time remembering every moment in as much detail as she could recall.

Fareeha was startled when the weight on her shifted and, when she looked down, she saw Angela's head rising from her chest. She quickly fixed her face into a neutral expression, feeling almost as though she had been caught doing something indecent. She couldn't maintain the expression for long, though; seeing Angela look up at her with a sleepy smile made her resolve crumble immediately. She was reminded of a bird's nest when she saw Angela's hair, which was now loose and had been tossed in every direction throughout the night. Her eyes were halfway closed, her eyelids still heavy with fatigue. At some point, she had washed off her makeup. Given her natural beauty, Fareeha wondered for a moment why she even bothered wearing any.

Angela's smile faded for a moment as she yawned widely and dropped her head back onto Fareeha's chest. Looking up at Fareeha, she smiled again, looking excited to be awake but still too tired to show it properly. "I am beginning to think that trying to wake up is a waste of time."

Despite a moment of embarrassment when she realized what Angela meant, Fareeha couldn't bring herself to look away. Seeing her in such a state made her heart flutter madly and, admittedly, she felt a strange sense of pride when she thought about the fact that she was the reason for it. "I...think I know what you mean. We never seem to get very far, do we?"

Angela laughed softly. "To be fair, I cannot say that I have had much interest in straying too far before now."

"What changed your mind?"

Before she could answer, Angela's stomach grumbled loudly. She gave an embarrassed laugh as she looked up at the ceiling and called out to the suite's microphones. "Room service. Breakfast menu."

A holographic display flickered to life above their bed, displaying large images of a number of elaborately plated dishes that scrolled by and triggered another rumble from Angela's stomach. Fareeha couldn't help laughing herself when she saw Angela watching the scrolling menu like a cat waiting for the right moment to pounce.

"I suppose that this _would_ be a good time to finally get the day started."

Angela huffed, her eyes still locked on the menu. "I am hungry. That does not mean that I am going anywhere."

She pressed her head down firmly on Fareeha's chest and held her tightly as she watched the menu, determined to show that she had no intention of leaving Fareeha's side. Fareeha laughed again and started watching the menu herself when a dish that looked much like the tartiflette that Angela had made for her the day before scrolled by. Her own stomach began to tighten and rumble, though it was hard for her to imagine that it would make her as happy as anything Angela made for her.

"It's unusual for me to say it but as good an idea as breakfast is right now, it doesn't seem like it's worth getting out of bed."

"I am glad that you agree. Getting up to go farther than the front door feels like a waste of a morning at the moment, though letting you leave without me would be worse."

Fareeha kissed the top of Angela's head and smiled when she got a content sigh in response. "Don't worry. I won't be going far, either."

"Good. I do not know if I could manage to follow you for very long."

"You really aren't a morning person, are you?"

Angela's face turned a bright red as she aimed her embarrassed smile at a far wall. "Well, no...though to be honest, I do not think that my legs would carry me very far this morning. I seem to be rather weak at the moment."

Fareeha's brow knitted with concern. "Are you alright?"

"You could say that I am doing a little _too_ well."

Fareeha's concern faded into confusion until she realized what Angela was trying to avoid saying. Once comprehension had dawned on her, she was lost for words and seemed to take a sudden interest in the same far wall. _I suppose that confirms how things went last night._

Desperate for something to say to break the silence, Angela quickly searched for a way to tactfully change the subject. "Have you been awake long?"

Fareeha thought about it for a moment before it occurred to her that she had no idea how long she had been lying there while her mind wandered. "I'm not sure. The sun was up and the birds were making an awful racket, so it couldn't have been too long."

Angela's body went rigid as she began listening intently to the birds' songs just outside of their window. She gasped and then suddenly began struggling to sit up. Before Fareeha could ask what was happening, Angela exclaimed, "the doves are back!"

"What doves?"

"The turtle doves! They've come back from Africa!"

Fareeha watched with confusion as Angela rolled herself to her side of the bed and, in her excitement, fell off of it entirely. Before Fareeha could ask if she was alright, she had struggled to her feet and had started stumbling toward the window. Fareeha's attempts to make sense of what Angela was doing were interrupted by the realization that Angela apparently hadn't been exaggerating about how weak her legs were; even after she'd reached the window, she seemed to be leaning against it for support. Despite her exhaustion, Angela gasped excitedly as she looked down to the trees below them.

"Look, look! There they are!"

Giving up on trying to guess at what was so important about birds, she carefully pushed herself out of bed and noticed that she was feeling rather weak, herself. Every muscle in her body was heavy with exhaustion. Feeling heat rising to her face again in response to recalling the reason for it, she focused on crossing the room and attempted to ignore the fact that it took a significant amount of conscious effort. When she reached the window, Angela wrapped an arm around her and pointed toward the ground.

"There is one now! There, in that tree!"

Fareeha struggled for a moment to focus her eyes, fighting the sleep that hadn't yet entirely left her and the glare of the midmorning sunlight. Her eyes were sharp, however; once she had managed to see clearly, she could make out a bird leaving a tree and fluttering toward the ground. She didn't know much about birds but its coloring looked familiar somehow. Its largely pale blue color and bright yellow wings with black spots was rather distinctive but she couldn't place where she had seen one before.

"I get the feeling that I'm missing something important."

Angela thought about it as she watched the turtle dove making its way to the ground. They were too far up for her to see it clearly anymore but she couldn't take her eyes off of the spot where she had last seen it. "I do not think that I have mentioned it before. I love turtle doves; so much so that I funded a sanctuary for them near here. They have been returning to Zürich every spring since."

"A sanctuary? Are they endangered?"

Angela frowned for a moment, her excitement briefly lost. "They were for a while. Their numbers were in a steady decline for decades and, for a time, it seemed as though we would lose them entirely. There were a number of conservation efforts made, however. My sanctuary was among them."

Fareeha kissed the top of Angela's head again. As much as Angela seemed to resent her public persona at times, it was moments like this that made it apparent that her reputation was well deserved. "That certainly seems like something that you'd do."

Angela smiled, though she appeared to be having some difficulty in accepting the compliment. "I cannot say that my motives were entirely altruistic. I have an attachment to them. I could not bear the thought that they would be lost forever."

"That doesn't mean that you didn't do a good thing. You helped save a species. That's not the sort of thing that should be overshadowed by the fact that doing it made you happy."

Angela turned to Fareeha looking awestruck. She wrapped her arms around Fareeha's neck and pulled her close, kissing her with a passion that caused memories of the night before to flash in Fareeha's mind. When they parted, Fareeha looked as though she was in a daze.

"I take it that you've decided to agree?"

Angela smiled, leaning against Fareeha again as she turned back to the window and started unconsciously scanning the tops of trees for movement. "Yes, in spite of myself. You always find a way to bring silver linings to all of my dark clouds."

"I'm only calling it as I see it." Knowing Angela as she did, Fareeha got the feeling that she would begin doubting herself again if given enough time and decided to press on before that could happen. "Why are they so important to you, anyway?"

Angela gave a shy smile. "It is embarrassing." After a moment of silence, she turned to Fareeha to see a surprisingly stern gaze.

"I won't bother asking you what you're thinking. I'll simply stare at you impatiently until you give up and tell me."

Angela laughed in spite of herself. She was somewhat frustrated to have her own words used against her and couldn't deny that Fareeha's glare was far more impressive than her own. Still, the humor of the situation wasn't lost on her. More than that, she couldn't help appreciating that someone actually wanted to know more about her as a person; she couldn't think of a single other person that would take such an interest in anything about her that wasn't worth publishing in a tabloid.

"How much do you know about turtle doves?"

Fareeha thought for a moment but couldn't think of anything that seemed significant enough to warrant such a reaction from Angela. "Not much. I just know that they're seen as symbols of love, probably because they mate for life. I believe they had some connection to a goddess of...agriculture, was it?"

Angela gave another gentle laugh. "Only you could call that much knowledge of something 'not much.' You are correct, of course. I grew up hearing the same things about them. My parents would travel to the south of England every autumn to watch them before they migrated south and again every spring when they returned. It was a romantic holiday for them but they took me one year when I pestered them enough about it. They talked about it so often that I wanted to see it for myself even though I did not understand the significance of it at the time. They would make an entire day of sitting in a park and watching for them. They would talk about how they hoped to be together just as long. As hard as it was to lose them, it brought me comfort to know that they achieved that goal. Even in their final moments, they were together."

Fareeha watched Angela staring wistfully out of the window, deeply regretting having asked about the turtle doves. She assumed that it showed in her expression when Angela looked at her after the silence had carried on for too long and kissed her cheek.

"Do not worry, love. I am not sad, really. Watching the turtle doves now reminds me of something that I loved about my parents. I wanted the same for myself, actually. It is what I have always thought of when I saw them once I was old enough to understand what my parents had. No, I am not sad. More than anything, I am grateful that I was able to see what love should be. It is why I have not stopped looking for it until now. After having seen the world, I shudder to think what I may have settled for otherwise."

Fareeha thought for a moment before nodding in agreement as she remembered a conversation she'd had about Samia years earlier. "I think I understand. My mother was similar in a sense. She wasn't in a position to give me an example but...well, you know how she was about correcting someone when she saw them making a mistake. It amazes me that she willingly accepted her promotions; she clearly loved being a drill sergeant."

Angela laughed until her stomach began to hurt. Over the years, she'd had no end of opportunities to watch the intensity with which Ana delivered orders, her voice always causing people to stand at attention purely out of habit. Even Commander Morrison often stood up straight in response to a simple morning greeting. "Yes, that was certainly her way...and you did say that she did not hesitate to warn you of imbalanced relationships."

Fareeha smiled even as she shuddered at the thought. "She was rather...enthusiastic about it. My ears still ring from it. It was one of the biggest arguments we ever had and it was all about the fact that I shouldn't settle for less than I deserve. I know that she wanted me to be doing something safer for a living but I'm pretty sure that this is what she wanted for me."

Angela sighed peacefully when Fareeha punctuated her statement by pulling her closer. Habit drove her to keep the conversation moving, though it was difficult to set aside the desire to simply savor the feeling of Fareeha's firm grip on her waist. "Between losing my parents and my failed attempts to find what they had for myself, I spent a long time not thinking about it any more often than I had to. After enough time had passed, I felt the urge to take the same trip that they took every year. I found the same park but there were no turtle doves to be seen. It was not until then that I realized how few of them were left. When I looked into it, I learned that people across Europe have been working to save them for decades. I did not hesitate to join them. I was able to negotiate with the city and create a sanctuary in one of the city's parks. Once people here found out what I was trying to do, they did not hesitate to voice their agreement with my wishes until the city agreed to grant my request. It is one of the few opportunities that I have had to put my celebrity status to good use."

The note of resentment and regret in Angela's voice was returning, causing Fareeha to speak up quickly before the thought could gain momentum. The conversation had only cemented her beliefs concerning Angela's motives. "You used what you had at your disposal to a positive end. There's no shame in that. I think that much of the reason that I don't like the thought of being a celebrity is because I know all too well what happens when power corrupts people. One of the things I love about you is that you have more than most but you remain who you truly are."

Angela looked as though she wanted to respond but she stopped when her stomach gave another growl. She gave another embarrassed laugh, seemingly giving her time to remember how tired she was. Her laughter was interrupted by a long yawn that made her turn her attention back to their bed. She seemed to be torn between watching for more turtle doves and lying back down and, after another yawn that she failed to completely stifle, her fatigue won out. She started making her way back to the bed but not before taking Fareeha's hand and gently pulling her along. She waited for Fareeha to lie down before returning to the comfortable spot she had found that night, her head resting on Fareeha's chest as the slow and steady pace of her heartbeat lulled her to sleep. She briefly considered letting it carry her off again until the holographic menu, still slowly scrolling above the bed, caught her attention and hunger pulled ahead of both sleep and watching the doves below. Now committed to remaining awake a while longer, she decided to make one more admission that she had completely forgotten once she had started thinking of her parents.

"There is one other thing that I love about turtle doves."

"Is it the fact that they fly?"

Angela's focus turned away from the menu, now directed toward making sense of what she'd heard. "What? Well, yes but...what?"

Angela could feel Fareeha shrug in response. "I've seen the look on your face when you're flying in combat. You look like you're on a ride at an amusement park. When we first met, I often wondered if you'd somehow forgotten that people were actively attempting to kill us."

Angela laughed softly as she thought about those early days in their friendship. "So that is why you kept looking at me like that. No, I love turtle doves because they remind me of us."

"How so?"

Color began to rise to Angela's cheeks. "Did you see the colors?"

Fareeha thought about the bird that she had seen below and it finally occurred to her why it felt so familiar. The pale blue color of its body wasn't far removed from the color of her Raptora armor and the yellow of its wings were reminiscent of the golden glow of Angela's halo. Though she understood Angela's attachment to them, it was suddenly easy to imagine taking more of an interest in them herself.

"That's a surprising coincidence."

"That is what I thought myself. I was in the park and visiting the sanctuary one day not long after we had met and I first started to think of how I felt about you. I began to wonder if it was a sign that I had finally found what I was looking for."

Fareeha began to fidget nervously as she feeling slightly overwhelmed, largely with guilt. "I wish I had anything that impressive to say about when I started to feel the same way. All I can say is that I bought a bottle of your perfume and worried myself sick about telling you."

Angela laughed cheerfully, making Fareeha's worries evaporate in an instant. "Do not even begin worrying about it, love. You have made your feelings for me quite clear." She quickly rushed past the moment, making it clear that she would hear no argument against her statement. "Do you have any idea what you want to order?"

Fareeha looked at the menu again as she was reminded of how hungry she was. All of it looked delicious and, as her stomach began to ache, she quickly became far more interested in easing the discomfort than picking anything in particular. "No, none. Could you pick something for me again? You haven't failed me yet."

Angela smiled sweetly as she felt a warmth spread through her. She was no stranger to praise but the sincerity that now accompanied it made it something almost entirely new to her. The menu now completely forgotten, she again kissed Fareeha. It began as a gesture of appreciation but quickly and suddenly began to build in intensity. When she felt Fareeha's fingers starting to run through her hair, she was briefly amused by how quickly the mood between them had been shifting since they had returned to her suite the night before. In the few seconds since the last words that had passed between them, she had lost all feeling of the fatigue that had been weighing her down.

 _I do not think that we will not be getting the day started this time, either._


	27. Jump Start

_This is another of those chapters that took me entirely by surprise by going in a direction entirely different from what I (and likely some of you) were expecting. I won't say too much about it here but suffice it to say that, as I was writing this chapter, I wanted this moment between Fareeha and Angela to last a little bit longer. There isn't much time to say anything else as I get the feeling that writing the next chapter will take some time and I'm eager to wrap this one up and jump right into it._

 _The music for this chapter doesn't follow any particular theme other than that it all feels appropriate for a morning when nothing beyond your bed is of any consequence to you._

 _1\. "Rolanberry Fields" composed by Nobuo Uematsu_

 _2\. "90 West" by Alexandra Hampton_

 _3\. "El Mensaje" by Audio Lotion_

Angela's eyes opened slowly, then closed them again out of frustration as much as fatigue. The world didn't seem to be in any hurry to come into focus and, after looking at a clock on the wall, she was in no more of a hurry herself. _13:12...there is still time._ Obligation brought a familiar sense of discomfort even though it was something that she had been looking forward to doing. All she wanted at the moment was more time to pull Fareeha close and drift away again, content in the knowledge that nothing in the world could possibly be improved in any way. When considering that she could be spending her time in bed with the woman she loved, even the plans that she'd made herself seemed like a step backward in making her happy. The only thing keeping her from abandoning those plans altogether was the fact that she'd already promised Fareeha, who seemed to at least be curious about Sechseläuten and interested in seeing it for herself. Angela gave a sleepy smile when she considered that she must not have mentioned the barbecue afterward; if she had said anything about spending the evening roasting sausages over a bonfire, Fareeha would surely be dragging her out of bed at that very moment.

Though she knew that there wasn't time to go back to sleep, Angela was determined to keep the world at a distance for as long as she could manage. She put her head back down and, despite her intent to get as close to sleep as she could in the time that she had, there was more than obligation keeping her from making it a reality. In her sleep addled state, it took several seconds of conscious efforts to finally place what it was that was making her uneasy.

 _Where is my Fareeha?_

Angela sat up straight in bed and struggled to open her eyes. Despite her effort, they didn't seem to be capable of opening more than halfway as they swept the room for any sign of her. A knot in her stomach began to tighten and nauseate her as her eyes fell on the empty half of the bed. She reached out unconsciously as though hoping to prove her eyes wrong but she only touched the wrinkles in the sheets where Fareeha had been. The smooth cotton beneath her fingertips was cold, indicating how long it had been since she had left. In the midst of her growing discomfort, a moment of conversation from more than a day before flashed in Angela's mind and it occurred to her what was making her so tense. She had been in this position more than once. The realization that was dawning on her now was imagined and the product of experience but, at one point in her life, it had been all too real. Angela closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. As she exhaled, she imagined her breath sweeping her sudden fear out with it.

 _The past is just that—the past. My Fareeha would not have gone far._

The clouds in her thoughts parting, Angela again turned her thoughts to wondering where Fareeha was. She looked around the room for clues but found nothing that suggested where she might have gone. There were dishes and silverware left from the breakfast that they had ordered several hours earlier on the nightstands on either side of the bed. Angela smiled bashfully as she remembered how strange it had seemed at the time; though she often relished the thought of eating breakfast in bed out of a refusal to start her day in earnest, it was impossible for her to imagine Fareeha's doing the same before that morning. If there was a proper way to do something, Fareeha would certainly do it that way purely out of principle. She couldn't recall ever having seen Fareeha eat anywhere other than at a table outside of combat. The fact that she had made an exception that morning spoke volumes of how exhausted she must have been. _At least we are even._

Angela scanned the room again and her eyes fell on the babydoll that Fareeha had been wearing the last time she had seen her. After the last time attempt that they had made to wake up for the day ended in another blissful failure, Fareeha had crossed the room to retrieve it from where Angela had thrown it before returning to bed. Seeing it folded neatly on the top of a dresser, Angela could only imagine that Fareeha had been successful in waking up this time and was getting dressed. Angela pouted at the lingerie, annoyed that she was finally out of opportunities to see it put to use. She called out to the microphones in the suite and ordered a list of services. When a holographic display flickered to life in front of her, she used it to order a cleaning service for the lingerie, ensuring that it would be ready to wear again by the time they returned. She had no idea whether or not Fareeha would be willing to wear it again but she wasn't about to take any chances and allow for the opportunity to be lost.

"Do you really want to see me in that thing again that badly?"

Angela jumped and gasped loudly as she turned toward the sound Fareeha's voice. She was standing just behind her and smiling, already mostly dressed in black jeans and was pulling a white hooded sweatshirt over her head. Seemingly in spite of all of her efforts to find Fareeha, Angela had somehow been caught unaware. She forced her breathing to slow as she pulled herself together.

"I am going to have to put a bell on you, I think."

She turned her eyes away from Fareeha, whose smile had given way to laughter. She looked off into the distance just long enough to glare at the babydoll as though it had been conspiring against her. _Well...I suppose that I was rather distracted._ She looked up at Fareeha again with a guilt-ridden smile with the feeling that she should at least make an attempt to explain herself.

"Well...that is...I was just thinking that if it is the only one you have..."

Fareeha laughed loudly as she sat down on the bed next to Angela and kissed her. "Well, I suppose it won't kill me. It's pretty comfortable." Her laughter began anew when she heard Angela breathe a sigh of relief in spite of herself. "I guess that settles it. Just...keep making us even."

Angela felt a brief moment of embarrassment as she thought about the nurse's uniform that was still on the floor somewhere out of sight. She pushed the thought aside as she turned toward the black lingerie on the dresser again and nodded with a firm intent. _It is well worth it. If anything, I still owe her something in this exchange._

"You have a deal. I will add the uniform to the dry cleaning request."

Fareeha looked away from her and seemed to be restraining a smile. "Well...actually...I meant something more along the lines of what you're wearing now."

Angela's brow knitted in confusion. "What? This?" She looked down at herself and realized for the first time that morning that she wasn't even wearing her own clothes. At some point in the night, she was searching for clothes and had put on the first things that she put her hands on in her rush to get back into bed. She was wearing the white t-shirt that Fareeha had been wearing the day before and what felt like the lacy panties that she had worn with the nurse's uniform. She looked up at Fareeha again, still looking nonplussed. Fareeha only smiled in response.

"Please don't ask me to explain it. I can't say why but I like seeing you like this. It's something different...something that nobody else would ever see."

Angela felt heat rising to her face again when she realized what Fareeha was thinking. Her mind drifted for a moment and she remembered thinking something similar the day before when she found herself thinking of a side of Fareeha that nobody else would ever see. She felt proud of the fact that no matter how much the public pried and searched for every last detail of both of their lives, there were certain things about Fareeha that were hers alone. Seeing something that she had done that had inspired the same feelings in Fareeha made her memorize every last detail of her appearance to ensure that she could replicate the experience. The more she thought about it, though, the more difficult it became to imagine what Fareeha could have seen in her. She had long since washed away her makeup from the day before, her hair was tossed in every direction and tangled to the point of being in knots and she was wearing nothing that she didn't normally wear to bed. Still, if Fareeha had found it to be desirable, that was more than enough of a reason for her.

"So I should not bother having that uniform cleaned?"

"Let's not get carried away."

Angela laughed cheerfully as she wrapped her arms around Fareeha and rested her head on her shoulder. "Verdammt. I was hoping for a moment that I had gotten out of explaining it to the hotel staff."

Fareeha's expression went neutral as she considered for the first time that it would certainly catch someone's attention. "Come to think of it, that does sound like more trouble than it's worth. It will definitely raise questions."

Angela laughed again and rushed to ease Fareeha's mind. "Do not worry, love. It will not raise any questions that they are not asking already. Where is it, anyway? I will get it ready to be picked up."

Fareeha looked around the room for a moment with an amused expression. "I can't say. I haven't seen it since you wore it last. You...have a tendency to throw clothes."

Angela giggled as she crawled to the end of the bed and started searching the floor. She couldn't help thinking of when she had put them on again in the middle of the night after a surprisingly sheepish request from Fareeha. Given how long she had been wearing them, it seemed almost like a waste of time to go through the trouble of putting it all on. "They were frustrating me."

"Frustrating you? Why?"

"They were in the way."

Fareeha smiled again as she turned away, her cheeks turning what was now Angela's favorite shade of burgundy. "Fair enough, I suppose...but why did you throw mine?"

Angela laughed as her eyes fell on a piece of white cloth underneath the foot of the bed. "They were frustrating me more than my own." She pulled the dress from beneath the bed and attempted to smooth the wrinkles out of it. As her hands ran over the fabric, she noticed that there were two buttons from the front of the dress that were nowhere to be seen. She thought about the last time that she'd had it on for several seconds before remembering just how much she'd been rushing to remove it. As the night carried on, the intensity between them had built to the point that clothing had gone from being enticing to being an obstacle. Folding the dress before Fareeha could see what she had done to it, she quickly turned to Fareeha and began speaking again before the embarrassed laughter she could feel building inside of her could make its way out and give her away.

"Do you see my cap anywhere?"

Fareeha looked around the room again before laughing and standing up to cross the room. "I think this is it under the chair. It got pretty good distance."

Though a feeling reminiscent of embarrassment flashed somewhere in the back of her mind, Angela couldn't keep herself from laughing along with Fareeha as she reached under the side of the bed and produced a black garter belt. "What about my stockings?"

"I think that's one of them on the nightstand."

"Do you see the other anywhere?"

Fareeha did her best to stifle her laughter but failed as she pulled a long black stocking from beneath a pillow. Angela appreciated Fareeha's attempt but stood next to her and quickly kissed her to make it clear that it was unnecessary.

"I was...excited."

"The feeling was mutual, so I can hardly hold that against you."

Angela was about to respond before another holographic display came to life in the center of the room followed by a gentle chiming from the speakers embedded in the ceiling. She groaned and buried her face in Fareeha's shoulder, not even bothering to turn toward the display. She already knew that it was the alarm that she had set the day before to ensure that she wouldn't sleep through the beginning of the festival. She silently cursed her past self for not considering the possibility that she would have better things to do. Her voice muffled, she ordered the chiming to come to an end.

"I suppose that I should get dressed."

Fareeha looked as though she was torn between decisions. "Well...we don't have to rush, exactly."

Angela groaned again. "I appreciate your being considerate but please do not tempt me. If you leave it up to me, we will miss all of Sächsilüüte."

"To be honest, the thought crossed my mind."

Angela gave a gentle laugh as she pressed her face more firmly into Fareeha's shoulder to hide her face, certain that it was matching the crimson still on her fingernails. "You are not making this easy, love. I will get ready to go; we will not have to miss the festival for that. Just try to not hold it against me if I want to leave early."

Angela kissed Fareeha one last time before slowly making her way to the bathroom, sleep still weighing her feet down despite the waiting shower. Fareeha did her best to not stare as Angela walked away, though the fact that she couldn't be seen caused her desire to quickly win the struggle for her thoughts. Her t-shirt was a size too large on Angela but was still clinging to the curves of her hips that they didn't entirely cover. When the bathroom door closed, Fareeha smiled as she collapsed on the bed in a heap.

 _How am I supposed to choose between that and the uniform?_

Fareeha didn't move for the better part of an hour as she lay in place in a tranquil daze. She called out to the suite's microphones, ordering a search of her phone for a playlist that fit her mood. She smiled as the first song began and she thought that it couldn't have been more appropriate. (1) Her thoughts were filled with the rare moment of a moment of peace in the middle of an adventure that caused her heart to race with excitement, a feeling that perfectly fit her feelings as she lay on the bed, surrounded by serenity despite the fact that her pulse was still racing, both from a moment earlier and in the face of the immediate future. As her mind drifted, the events of the past several days ran through her mind in a wonderful blur. On occasion, a single moment would come through clearly and cause her to smile. As with the day before, the torrent of memories didn't trouble her in the least in spite of her expectations. Every time a memory began to fade, another took its place and made the warmth building within her grow even more. Her eyelids began to grow heavy and, just as she was floating somewhere between consciousness and sleep, her now hazy thoughts and the music were both interrupted by an announcement from the suite's speakers.

"Incoming call from: Lena Oxton."

Fareeha's expression instantly turned sour. She felt guilty for reacting that way to a call from Lena but, at the same time, she wanted nothing more at that moment than to keep daydreaming for a little while longer. She struggled to sit up straight and took a moment to smooth her hair down before accepting the call. A display that popped up in front of her face displayed Lena, smiling widely and looking excited. Though this wasn't at all an unusual expression for Lena, Fareeha quickly got the feeling that there was something in particular causing it this time.

"What is it?"

Though Fareeha regretted her words as soon as she'd heard how curt she sounded, Lena didn't appear to be fazed. If anything, the shrewd smile forming on her face gave Fareeha the impression that she had somehow made her happier. "Your hair's a mess! I've never seen you like that before. You're in a state."

Fareeha turned away from the display to hide whatever expression the unfamiliar contortion of the muscles in her face was arranged into. "I just woke up, that's all."

"This late? The day's more than half gone. That's not like you, either."

Fareeha's mind raced to create a believable excuse that would explain the observation away but, when she thought about it, she was surprised by it herself. "Never mind that. What did you need?"

"Nothing that can't wait a tick. Come on, Pharah...spill it. You look like you didn't sleep at all last night."

"I slept! I slept just fine!" Fareeha continued to stare at the far wall, which she knew was as good as an admission to someone as observant as Lena.

"Yeah, but...how _much_ did you sleep?"

Fareeha sighed as she realized how ridiculous it was to keep up the charade. Though she couldn't say whether she was doing it out of embarrassment or modesty, the fact remained that there was no point in continuing. Lena knew exactly what had happened; she had been anticipating it long before it actually took place. More than that, Lena was likely the only person in the world other than Angela that she would willingly share it with. Just as she was about to give in, she and Lena were startled by a shout from the other side of the bathroom door.

"She slept very little and I do not expect tonight to be any different!"

Fareeha's face flushed as Angela giggled from the other side of the door. Lena had disappeared from the screen; she had fallen over laughing and had left the view of her camera entirely. It was nearly a full minute before she finally came back onto the screen, doing her best to compose herself as she gasped for breath.

"I...I guess that answers my question. Two or three others, too, come to think." Lena finally calmed herself as she watched Fareeha fidgeting nervously, looking as though she was caught between the two of them. "I'm sorry, Pharah. I'm just excited. I'm happy for you two is all."

Fareeha sighed heavily. Though she hadn't been thinking it consciously, in the back of her mind she was already well aware of it. Be that as it may, however, she was quite done with being the center of attention. "I know, Lena...and thank you. Now, why _did_ you call?"

Lena thought about it for a moment, the true purpose of her call temporarily lost to her. "Oh! I just wanted to make sure that you two are still coming today! Hana's pretty excited about it and she wanted me to make sure."

Fareeha's stomach tightened. "Is—is she there?"

Lena shook her head with a slightly suspicious expression. "Not yet. She's got a car on its way here now. I've got another one ready to get you two. We'll meet halfway." She thought for a minute about whether or not she wanted to stress Fareeha any further before gently adding, "is everything alright?"

Fareeha's face immediately fixed itself into its default neutral state. "Nothing is wrong." Seeing the doubt in Lena's expression slowly shifting to worry, she added to the statement. "Really, I'm fine. I'm just a little uneasy. I'll...tell you about it later."

Lena didn't look entirely relieved but she nodded to show that she wouldn't press the issue. She agreed to simply see her soon but only ended the call after shouting a goodbye to Angela, causing more laughter to come through the bathroom door. Fareeha collapsed on the bed again and called out to the microphones to play another song that would ease her mind. (2) She breathed deeply as the sound of a piano reached her ears and she was once again drifting off to somewhere else entirely. As the tension that was attempting to build inside of her began to ease, she was again interrupted, this time by the sound of the bathroom door opening. She forced herself up again but, unlike the last interruption of her thoughts, she was rather pleased this time. Angela stepped out and into the bedroom, wrapped in a towel and frowning as she forced a brush through the tangles in her hair.

"It is probably for the best that I am forcing myself to get out of bed today. If I let my hair go two days in a row like this, I doubt that I could solve the problem without scissors."

Angela took a seat on the edge of the bed next to her, looking as though she was falling as much as sitting. She looked up at the ceiling and, for a moment, she looked as though she was having trouble keeping her eyes open. "I like this song but it is making it difficult to want to do anything other than crawl back into bed. It sounds like something that should come at the end of an evening rather than at the beginning."

Fareeha thought about it for a moment before calling out the name of another song. (3) Angela stared at her in awe when a slow and gentle tune started to build in intensity. It was just as gentle and didn't feel as though it was rushing her to wake up but something about the tempo reminded her of the smell of coffee early in the morning that gently prodded her into beginning her morning routine. "Perfect as always, love." After struggling with her hair for a few more seconds, she stopped and turned to Fareeha with a slightly worried expression. A concern had been weighing on her mind since she heard Fareeha's conversation with Lena and, though she initially wanted to leave it be as long as Fareeha didn't seem to be overly concerned by it, she finally decided that she couldn't bring herself to ignore it entirely. "Are you certain that you are feeling up to this today? You sounded...well, not worried, exactly..."

Fareeha was immediately aware of what Angela meant. She hadn't considered it at the time but the end of her conversation with Lena was sure to bring the question up sooner or later. "Yes, I'm sure. I can't say that I'm looking forward to it, honestly. It's nothing I can't handle, though. I just don't really want to."

Angela was convinced, though she didn't look as though she was entirely satisfied. "I know that you are not comfortable with the thought of celebrities but there is no need to worry. Talking to Hana is certainly a different experience but you have more in common with her than you may think."

Fareeha's face was fixed with determination. "I'll get through it. I always do."

Angela couldn't help feeling worried when she realized that her message wasn't quite getting through but couldn't help being comforted by Fareeha's resolve. She leaned in and kissed her cheek before returning to her battle with her hair. "Of that, I have no doubt. If it is any help, however, try to remember the barbecue afterward."

Fareeha's mind shifted gears in an instant. "The _what_?"

Angela found herself laughing through the pain as the bristles of her brush caught another tangled knot. _I suppose that I did not mention it after all._ "There will be a barbecue at the Sechseläutenplatz after the burning of the Böögg. With all of the attention that Overwatch has brought to the city this year, the public relations department has made a considerable donation of sausage to be sure that there is enough to go around."

Angela could only smile as she could see Fareeha's concerns lift along with her look of determination. The light that danced in her eyes reminded Angela of the children that she had watched marching in the Kinderumzug the day before. It was something about Fareeha that Angela loved; Fareeha was a woman that wanted for almost nothing. She was someone that always seemed to be at peace with her life as it was and her desires were most often that things continue as they were. As such, even the smallest surprises created an excitement in her that would be snuffed out in most by the need to satisfy far more extravagant desires.

"What time does this barbecue start?"

"Not long after the Böögg's head explodes, if memory serves."

"Its head _explodes_?"

Angela laughed as Fareeha stared in wide-eyed wonder. "You will see. As I said, I believe that you will like it."

Fareeha watched Angela stand with slightly more strength than she had shown so far that morning, giving the impression that she was finally waking up. As she made her way to a dresser to search for something to wear, Fareeha found herself again unable to turn away from the sight of Angela walking away. The white towel, tightly wrapped around her body, drew Fareeha's eyes to curve of her hips and seemed to be highlighting them. She managed to tear her eyes from the sight as Angela was turning toward the bathroom with clothes in hand, though not in time to escape notice. Though it was brief, Angela clearly saw the look of Fareeha's face that made her look as though she was making a difficult choice.

"Do not worry, love. _That_ will be waiting for you after the barbecue."


	28. Promises (Christmas Special)

_Merry Christmas, everyone! I'm sorry that I've been away for so long. Life is doing its best to get in the way and I'm still trying to learn how to deal with it when it gets bad. I'm a long way off from giving up on it, though; much to the contrary, I'm still trying new things to figure out just what will work for me. The biggest development was actually using outlines when I start feeling stuck. I've never done it before but it helps immensely when something is interfering with my writing a chapter in one sitting like I like to do. Now that I'm on holiday, though, I've got all day to work on it. It's a struggle—I expected this chapter to be done more than two weeks ago—but I can't even describe how good it feels to finally be back at it._

 _This chapter was originally going to be a continuation of the story leading up to Sechseläuten (it's coming, I promise) but it occurred to me that it was almost Christmas Eve yesterday. Thinking of that sparked an idea to do another holiday special something like the New Year's Day special. I have no idea why but this one flowed much more naturally, almost as much as back when I first started this story. It was fun to write. The idea came in a hurry and I wanted to get it done and posted today so please excuse any mistakes I've made as there may be a few more than usual. It's just one chapter this time but I hope you still like it!_

Fareeha stood outside of the bathroom and leaned against the door frame as she stared blankly out of the window on the opposite wall. In spite of her attempts to remain calm and indifferent, the steadily increasing pace of her heart kept her from being able to believe that she was capable of being indifferent. On the other side of the open door, Angela was standing in a lacy white bra and matching panties and smiling at Fareeha's back.

"It is alright to come in, love. I am decent."

Fareeha, who had been speaking with Angela and had followed to keep from shouting across the room, had stopped just short of entering the bathroom. In spite of everything that had passed between them in the last several hours, it still seemed to her that it was inappropriate to stand there and stare at her as she was getting dressed. Being given permission to come in made it difficult to not jump at the opportunity but her decency, while unable to keep her from entering immediately, couldn't stop her from rejecting the idea altogether. She turned slowly and, seeing Angela standing in front of her, she stopped in her tracks. As hard as she tried, she could do nothing other than stare. Some small part of her mind was screaming at her that staring was also rude but the rest of it was occupied with processing what she was seeing. The end result left her standing there in wide-eyed wonder with her lips slightly parted.

Angela felt a bit of disappointment and was forced to admit to herself that she had been hoping for a bit more of a reaction. "Is anything wrong, love?"

Hearing Angela's voice pulled Fareeha out of her daze. "No, nothing. I was just...surprised. I thought you had said that you were dressed."

"Well, I am _relatively_ decent...in the sense that you have seen me in less, at least."

Angela laughed in response to the deep burgundy making itself apparent across Fareeha's face, then resisted the urge to audibly sigh with relief when she realized that Fareeha had been affected after all. It was one more thing to love about Fareeha; her reservation and hesitation showed Angela what kind of person she really was. It never ceased to amaze that the strong, capable and deadly Captain Amari had such a sweet and pure side to her. Thinking of that, though Angela she was beginning to feel guilty for teasing her. Everything that was happening was a significant departure from what they were used to; the last thing that she wanted to do was make it any more difficult than it had to be. She reached out for a pair of jeans that were folded on the counter near the sink and, somewhat reluctantly, started putting them on. The moment of distraction from her desire to draw more reactions from Fareeha gave Angela the opportunity for a question to come to mind.

"Come to think of it, why _do_ you seem so flustered? I am wearing quite a bit more than I was several hours ago."

Fareeha hesitated for a few seconds. Admitting that she was thinking something like this was difficult with that small part of her mind still nagging her and reminding her to mind proper etiquette. It was made all the more confusing by the fact that she had no idea what proper protocol for a situation like this may be. With no better plan in mind, she resolved to simply be honest, looking as though she was bracing herself for impact.

"It's like seeing a wrapped present. It's...difficult to not be excited about what's inside. Even if I already know, I still want to unwrap it."

Angela stopped just as she had pulled her jeans up over her hips and, completely forgetting what she was doing, she quickly stepped toward Fareeha and wrapped her arms around her before kissing her. It took an exceptionally long time for her to finally pull away. It seemed as though she had done so none too soon; Fareeha seemed to be short of breath.

"Are...are you alright, love?" Though she was concerned, Angela couldn't help chuckling at the sight.

"Yes, I'm fine. I think so, anyway. Not that I'm complaining but...what was that for?"

Angela smiled before quickly kissing Fareeha one more time and stepping back to finish buttoning her jeans. She couldn't quite bring herself to fully admit what she had been thinking. It always made her feel some small measure of something akin to guilt but she loved to be appreciated. Since meeting Fareeha, the feeling was so intense that it was all but entirely irresistible. It occurred to her that the difference was that Fareeha was one of the only people she had ever met whose appreciation was genuine; when it came to matters like this particular situation, she was certain that Fareeha was the only one that could appreciate that part of her without losing sight of who she was as a person. Even still, though any malicious intent couldn't have been farther from her mind, she still felt somewhat guilty for enjoying something that could potentially upset Fareeha. Realizing that she still hadn't answered Fareeha's question, however, she responded as best she could.

"It was...for saying the right things, as per usual."

Fareeha couldn't honestly say that she understood but, since Angela seemed happy with nothing more than her telling the truth, she decided that it was good enough for the moment. Instead of worrying about it anymore, she simply watched as Angela went through the process of getting dressed. She couldn't place why but watching her was fascinating. Once she had pulled on a close fitting white off the shoulder sweater, she started smoothing her hair out again before pulling it back and tying it in place. Seeing the care that went into making sure that not even a single hair was out of place was amazing to Fareeha. She had never felt the need to put as much effort into her own appearance; it seemed impractical at best when she was preparing to spend days or even weeks in the field and it never interested her much at any other time. The more she thought about it, though, the more it seemed pointless for Angela as well—in a sense, at least. Angela was by far the most beautiful woman that she had ever seen. After having seen her in the most natural state possible, however, it was apparent to Fareeha that Angela's beauty had nothing to do with her clothing or her makeup. Watching her carefully applying eyeliner with the skilled hands of a surgeon, however, a new thought occurred to Fareeha. As Angela's appearance slowly and subtly transformed through the application of makeup, Fareeha realized that all of the trouble that Angela was going through was creating a new facet of her beauty. Fareeha always thought of makeup as something that covered beauty but she now saw that everything Angela applied to herself cast a light on that beauty, drawing the eye to it and making it impossible to overlook. It was as though she had found a way to add to Romeo and Juliet or Toccata and Fugue in D Minor and improve on what was already perfect.

Angela, after having finished with her eyeliner, was reaching out for an eyeshadow palette when she noticed Fareeha staring at her intently. She felt her face immediately growing warm; as much as she loved having Fareeha's attention, she wasn't accustomed to being watched so closely. It seemed as though Fareeha was studying her, not out of fascination as much as to learn something.

"W—what is it, love?"

It wasn't until Fareeha heard the question that she realized that she was staring again. Her mind raced to put all of her thoughts into words but the sudden flood of them made it impossible to form them into words. As always, she was irritated with herself when this happened; in her frustration, she did her best to force the words out.

"I was just thinking about how beautiful you truly are."

Angela laughed, surprised to feel so much joy from such a simple compliment that would have disgusted her coming from just about anyone else. "It sounds as though you are working on getting another kiss."

"No...well, I wouldn't argue with you about it but that wasn't what I was thinking. I just feel...well, I guess that 'grateful' is a good word for it. It's hard to imagine that someone as perfect as you came to someone like me."

"What do you mean by that?"

Angela paused when Fareeha flinched, not having any idea why she suddenly sounded slightly irritated. She composed herself and ensured that her voice was calm before continuing, not wanting to give Fareeha the impression that she was annoyed—mostly because she was.

"I am beautiful, intelligent and generally amazing if I do say so myself. If you think that you are not so amazing yourself that you are not worthy of my affection, however, you are simply not giving yourself nearly enough credit. It...upsets me to think that anyone would have such a thought, even if it is you."

Fareeha was taken aback, amazed by both hearing how much Angela thought of her and the fact that she was still somehow surprised by it when she heard it. On top of that, she was surprised that Angela felt so strongly about it.

"I'm sorry. I'll work on remembering that."

Angela smiled, though it was a little weak. "Do not apologize, love. Just remember that I feel the way I do about you for a reason. I will try to not be so defensive about my feelings, though I cannot promise that I will be so reserved if anyone other than you challenges them."

Angela's thoughts drifted to a moment just before she'd stepped into the shower when she'd picked up her phone to check her messages purely out of habit. One in particular had caught her attention before she'd remembered that she was ignoring the rest of the world while she was with Fareeha and, ever since that moment, she was having a hard time putting it out of her mind. Fareeha noticed the change in her expression and, though she was curious about what thoughts Angela was having that had so drastically changed her mood, she had the feeling that it was best to not call any attention to it and instead decided to delicately redirect the conversation.

"Well, I'm certainly glad that you feel the way that you do, at any rate. If it hadn't been for your moving forward, I may never have had the courage to tell you how I felt about you. I suppose that's another reason that I feel lucky; I'm not used to having anyone do things for me."

Angela smiled, her spirits lifting as Fareeha's voice drowned out the memory that she was trying to put out of her mind. "I can hardly take all of the credit for it. I am glad that I made that New Year's resolution, though."

Fareeha's posture relaxed, surprising her as she didn't realize how tense she had been. Steering conversations in a particular direction was not something that she considered to be one of her talents and she was as amazed as she was relieved that it had worked. "Was that where it started for you?"

"That was where my efforts began in earnest, yes. I suppose that one could say that it actually started a bit earlier, though...at the Christmas party just before that."

Fareeha thought back to the previous Christmas and, remembering the conversation that they'd had when Angela had called her on Christmas morning, she recalled that Angela had seemed oddly excited. Angela couldn't help smiling, both at the bittersweet memory of the previous Christmas and Fareeha's suddenly excited and curious expression. Putting the bitter parts of the memory aside, she began to explain.

Several months earlier, Angela had been at a Christmas party at a hotel in Paris that she had been hosting. It seemed that it wasn't entirely accurate to say that she was the party's host, however; the affair had been wrestled from her control nearly as soon as she had announced it. As with every other party that she'd tried to throw, it had been entirely overtaken by at least one of the people that she'd made the mistake of inviting. She thought that having it on Christmas Day would keep most of the problematic potential guests from showing up but it seemed that the opportunity to attend one of her parties was still too much for them to pass up. She repressed the urge to cringe when her eyes fell on people that she knew for a fact had families on the other side of the planet that were conspicuously absent. The thought filled her with a sickening emotion that felt as though she was watching someone defacing fine art.

As usual, Angela had been informed that her guest list had more than tripled in size only several hours after having sent out the first invitation. Worse, several of the names that she had added had been removed. She'd felt a nauseating churning in her stomach when she'd gotten several angry letters and learned that someone had gone as far as to send messages to those people to inform them that they were no longer invited. After demanding to see one of these letters, she was horrified to find that, though it was written with the same practiced and polite speech that she was so accustomed to using herself, taking in the true meaning of the words made it apparent that whoever had written them had clearly been gloating above all else. Though she'd spent the better part of an hour sending out letters retracting those statements and insisting that people attend if possible, there was no way to know how many of them had been sent. When she thought about every other party that she'd ever tried to throw, none of this was all that surprising, a thought that felt worse than being shocked by it. Still, her desire to enjoy the holiday in pleasant company had gotten the better of her. After having spent nearly the entire evening greeting people—more than half of whom she didn't even know—only to be pulled into another conversation to repeat the process, she was long since exhausted and ready to go back to her suite. She was glancing around the room for an excuse to step away long enough to disappear into the crowd and find a place to be alone when what sounded like an argument reached her ears.

"Really? Even today, of all days?"

It wasn't at all unusual for arguments to start at her parties, often over what group of people would have the honor of having Angela stand among them for the sole purpose of drawing the envy of everyone else in attendance. She had hoped that the occasion would cause people to control themselves somewhat but it seemed that it was as foolish a hope as having a pleasant party for a change. She started searching for the source of the commotion, having already resigned herself to giving her practiced diplomatic response that meant promising her time to both arguing parties and giving up on finding an escape. She was surprised to find that the raised voices were coming from the door to the banquet hall; it seemed that the doorman was doing his best to argue with someone that was trying to get in. Angela sighed as she made her way to the door to settle the argument. It was another common occurrence at her parties that she'd had more practice with than she cared to remember. There were always fans trying to slip past security but, every so often, there was someone that would be gravely offended to find that they hadn't received an invitation and would spend hours on a flight just to argue their way past the front door. It was a long and tedious process to determine whether it was a random arrival or someone who felt their connections should grant them access and, in the event of the latter, find an excuse to let them in just to save herself an argument.

In an instant, several things happened so quickly that Angela couldn't quite make sense of it all immediately. The first was that, as she was trying to determine which kind of gate crasher the doorman was dealing with based on his choice of words, he stopped in the middle of his sentence.

"I am quite sorry, madame. While your reputation certainly precedes you, I am afraid that you are not on the guest list for this particular engagement. I am afraid that I must ask you and your...er, _friend_...to—"

Just as Angela was coming to the conclusion that such polite speech spoken with such a smug tone of voice was indicative of someone of importance that had been offended by not having been invited, her thoughts were interrupted by a flash of blue light and nothing more than a blur weaving its way through startled guests that had been taking entirely too much pleasure in seeing someone turned around at the door. Angela's eyes snapped back to the doorman, who was turning around with a bewildered expression to find out where the gate crasher had gone. As he did, Angela was just barely able to spy a head of red hair quietly stepping around the distracted doorman and weaving through the crowd. Angela looked around for the blur again but didn't find it until she followed the sound of cheerful laughter. When she saw the blur making its way toward a corner of the banquet hall where the head of red hair had stopped, it finally occurred to Angela what was happening. Her spirits lifted immediately and she started pushing her way to the crowd to join them. Though she apologized as she forced her way through groups of people so eagerly that she just barely avoided knocking drinks out of people's hands, she couldn't remove the smile from her face when she realized that the new arrival meant that the day was no longer a complete loss.

"Excuse me...please, pardon me...I must get through...I am sorry about your dress—Tracer! Emily!"

Angela waved excitedly as she approached Lena and Emily, both of whom were already making their way toward the door leading outside to the veranda. After issuing one more rushed apology following having stepped on someone's foot, she made her way through the door and, when she realized that there was nobody else outside, she closed it behind her.

"I...I cannot tell you how happy I am to see you both!"

Lena smiled, though she was looking unusually reserved. "Glad we made it before it ended! We left Winston's and flew straight here! I, er...borrowed one of the company jets."

She smiled shyly, awaiting another lecture about proper use of Overwatch resources. It was the farthest thing from Angela's mind, however; she couldn't contain her excitement as she took her time in hugging both of them, starting with Lena.

"You didn't think I'd miss one of your parties, did you—oof!" Lena laughed as best she could; Angela had hugged her so tightly and suddenly that it had squeezed the air out of her.

Angela squeezed Emily just as tightly, though Emily was prepared after having seen Lena desperately trying to catch her breath. Angela felt somewhat odd being so affectionate with Emily given that they didn't know each other very well. She had only met her several times since she began dating Lena but she knew her well enough to have a good feeling about her. She had initially been suspicious as she was always worrying about Lena but she had long ago stopped worrying about it. When she finally let go of Emily, Lena's question finally hit home and made her feel sheepish when she had to find a way to answer.

"I honestly didn't think that you would. I discovered just this morning that someone had removed you from the guest list and...well...with those horrible letters they had been sending to everyone...I didn't think..."

Angela was looking at the ground, feeling both guilty and humiliated. She had been trying all day to find a way to apologize properly but had yet to think of anything that would come close to being sufficient. She looked up in surprise when she heard Lena laughing loudly.

"Oh, come on. You didn't really think I'd believe that, did you? I know how these parties get. Besides, that letter didn't even sound like you. I knew better than to believe it. Not like it would've stopped me coming, anyway."

Emily started laughing along with Lena. "It's true. I tried to talk her out of it but I didn't get more than three words in before she'd started packing."

Hearing this, Angela finally joined in the laughter. She felt as though a weight had been lifted off of her heart; she had been so worried about finding a way to make up for what had been done that she had never stopped to consider the fact that it didn't really make any sense. She had spent so much time dealing with people that she couldn't stand that she had entirely forgotten what it was like to be around people that actually knew her. It still seemed to be too much to hope for that Lena would fly halfway across Europe on the hunch even though it sounded exactly like something that she would do but Angela was too happy to dwell on it.

"I am glad that you knew better. Even I did not think about the fact that such a thing was certainly unlike me."

Lena continued smiling, determined to drive the point home. "Of course! Who would believe that you of all people would invite someone to a party and then change your mind?"

Angela glanced behind her through the glass door and saw that everyone she could see was looking back at her, looking confused, disgruntled or envious. She turned back to Lena, her expression now grim. "You would be surprised."

Lena and Emily both glanced through the door where Angela had been looking and, seeing the expressions on their faces, they both realized that Angela was quite serious. Emily could only stand there in stunned silence. Lena, on the other hand, was quite confused.

"I don't get it. Why would anybody even go so far as to try to uninvite me?"

Angela sighed, not wanting to admit such a horrible truth. "If I had to guess, I would say that someone saw you both as competition and felt threatened. For all of their accomplishments that they love to go on about so much, they are still not Tracer. Worse, they know it. If they do not like it, I will not try to stop them from leaving in protest."

"It's not _that_ serious, is it?"

"I would thank them to do so."

Now, even Lena was struggling for words. "I...wow. I'm surprised that anybody thought that much of me."

Angela smiled, though it still looked a bit grim. "They do. They will never admit it but they are acutely aware that they do not measure up...for more reasons than they realize." She paused for a moment and sighed when she realized that this was not the end of the matter. While most of the people whose invitations were revoked were people that she was glad to not have to deal with anyway, there were still at least two people that she would have to speak with. "I still must apologize to Winston. He would never tell me but he was surely one of those names that was crossed off of my list."

Emily smiled kindly, wasting no time in easing Angela's fears. "You know that he knows better, too. We were talking about it this morning, actually. He was none too chuffed about what they'd done but he knew as well as we did that you didn't have anything to do with it."

Angela was again relieved, though not as much as earlier. "Of course...he would know better. He should still hear an explanation from me but it is good to know that he is not offended."

Lena, picking up on what Emily was doing, joined in as soon as she saw the opportunity. "Of course he does! It's not like he'd have been able to come, anyway. He wanted to but he's still trying to keep the cameras off of him. People are still touchy about the whole Overwatch reformation thing and most of them have figured that he's behind it. He can't as much as stick his head out of his front door without a BBC special report asking why."

Angela knew that it was true but the thought of his being trapped in his own home didn't make her feel any better. "Yes...still, I think that I will pay him a visit. I would rather apologize in person, anyway. Besides that, I cannot remember the last time that we spoke about anything other than new recruits or staying out of prison. It would be nice to spend some time with him."

Lena was already excited. "Let us know when you go! I'm always looking for an excuse to visit."

Angela nodded, then sighed again. Emily, wondering if Angela was beginning to fret again, inquired as delicately as she could. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"I was just thinking that this is very nearly perfect."

"What's missing?"

"I was just thinking that it would be nice if Fareeha had come, as well."

Emily sighed, feeling disgusted all over again. "Did they send one of those nasty letters to her, too?"

Angela shook her head. "No, I never put her on the list to begin with. I meant to invite her personally."

Lena looked surprised. "She wouldn't come?"

Angela shook her head again, now looking somewhat sad. "No, nothing like that. I...didn't specifically ask her to come. I mentioned it but...she didn't seem interested. It stands to reason, really. She is not a fan of these sorts of things."

Angela, feeling inexplicably uneasy, looked up to see Lena smiling at her with an air of mischief. "Wait...you didn't actually invite her? It's not like you to mince words."

Angela realized too late that she had said one word too many. She knew Lena well enough to know that the smirk on her face meant that it was already too late to sweep it under the rug but she still tried to deflect the question out of both habit and desperation. "Well, it is not as though I am surprised; I have a hard time imagining that she is doing anything other than working. If she did want to come, it would be horrible to invite her to a party that it was obvious that she would not be able to attend."

Lena didn't look as though she had been deterred in the least. "Well, it's a shame, really. I bet she would've come. She's on holiday right now, come to think."

Angela's surprise caused her to completely forget her intent to steer the conversation away from herself. " _She is?_ Why?"

Lena shrugged casually, though she was still smiling. "No idea; I'm just as surprised as you. I didn't find out until we called her to wish her a happy Christmas." Seeing Angela staring at her with her eyes wide, she knew that her plan had worked and pressed her advantage. "She said that she's on holiday for a couple of weeks. Knowing her, I'd bet she doesn't have any plans for it, either."

Angela stared at the ground, looking dejected. "I could have invited her...she would not have come, of course—"

Lena cut across her, sensing that she was losing Angela's attention. "Don't be too sure about that. She hates parties, sure. She likes you, though."

Again, Angela's train of thought was derailed by shock. "She...likes me?"

Lena carried on before she could lose Angela again, pleased with her own deliberately ambiguous choice of words. "Don't look so surprised. Don't be too surprised if she's willing to put up with a party if it means spending time with you, either. You should call her and make some plans."

Angela began smiling uncontrollably without even realizing it. "Yes...yes, you are right. I should. Are the two of you going to be free?"

Emily, who had been following the conversation closely, jumped at the opportunity to steer Angela's thoughts back in the right direction. "No, unfortunately. We have a thing and it's a bit too late to back out of it."

Emily did her best to not look relieved when Angela looked nervously excited by the news and didn't seem to be the least bit disappointed. Lena, noticing the same thing, decided that the time was right to make something clear.

"Hey, promise me something, will you?"

Angela looked up, her thoughts already filling with potential plans for New Year's Eve. "Yes, of course!"

Lena's expression quickly turned uncharacteristically serious. "You're never one to do things halfway and now is no time to start. Do the thing right, yeah?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean...if you've got something in mind that you wanna do, don't go at it halfhearted. Opportunity doesn't knock forever, y'know? You don't want somebody beating you to it. I'm pretty sure you're in the lead by a mile but...well, let's just say you're still not the only one running the race."

Angela thought about running that race and imagined turning around to see who was behind her. In the distance, she could almost see a sea of competitors when she thought about the thousands upon thousands of fan sites dedicated to running that race. She shivered as a chill ran up her spine. She turned to Lena and nodded, understanding exactly what she was saying.

"Yes...you are right, of course. I will remember that."

Lena smiled, the look of determination on Angela's face confirming that her point had hit home. "Good. You know, as long as it's the new year, you might want to think about making that a resolution. Not letting opportunities pass you by is a good one, don't you think?"

Angela smiled, her thoughts already drifting back to Fareeha and what she would say to her the next morning. "Yes...I agree. I shall remember that as well."


End file.
